Balenciaga brings haute couture to Shanghai museum environment

Balenciaga has taken its exclusive 50th Couture Collection to Shanghai, China, the first time it has introduced haute couture outside Paris.

Presented at the Tank Shanghai museum, the collection features 30 looks created by Demna Gvasalia, creative director at Balenciaga. The museum was refurbished for the five-day event, housing a couture salon, a showroom, a grand hall, and a banquet room.

“As China isn’t able to travel to Europe, either, I felt it was our duty to bring the Balenciaga 50th Couture Collection there,” said Gvasalia. “I’m proud to share with China this very important moment celebrating the culture, craftsmanship, and heritage of Balenciaga in an exhibition featuring my first couture collection.”

The exterior was decorated with cream-colored curtains to hide the spaces’ new interiors.

“Once inside, guests experience an environment that draws on the aesthetic tropes of Balenciaga’s recently restored historic couture salon and atelier, 10 Avenue George V,” the company said in a statement.

The launch of haute couture in China celebrates the 50th anniversary of the last collection by Cristobal Balenciaga, demonstrating the brand’s ambition to take a bigger bite out of the growing Chinese luxury market.