Demna presents the Balenciaga fall winter 2022 collection as part of Paris Fashion Week. In a heartfelt letter, Demna explains the pain he experiences watching events unfold in Ukraine. The following letter was his only focus for the show.
The war in Ukraine has triggered the pain of a past trauma I have carried in me since 1993, when the same thing happened in my home country and I became a forever refugee. Forever, because that's something that stays in you. The fear, the desperation, the realization that no one wants you. But I also realized what really matters in life, the most important things, like life itself and human love and compassion.
This is why working on this show this week was so incredibly hard for me. Because in a time like this, fashion loses its relevance and its actual right to exist. Fashion week feels like some kind of an absurdity. I thought for a moment about cancelling the show that I and my team worked hard on and were all looking forward to.But then I realized that cancelling this show would mean giving in, surrendering to the evil that has already hurt me so much for almost 30 years. I decided that I can no longer sacrifice parts of me to that senseless, heartless war of ego. This show needs no explanation. It is a dedication to fearlessness, to resistance, and to the victory of love and peace.
Demna, Balenciaga fall winter 2022
