Demna (designer) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Demna
დემნა |
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| Born |
Demna Gvasalia
25 March 1981 Sokhumi, Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, Soviet Union
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| Education | Tbilisi State University Royal Academy of Fine Arts |
| Occupation | Fashion designer |
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Label(s)
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| Spouse(s) |
Loïk Gomez
(m. 2017) |
| Relatives | Guram Gvasalia (brother) |
| Awards | Order of Honor .jpg){kind=small} |
| Signature | |
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Demna Gvasalia (born March 25, 1981), known simply as Demna, is a famous fashion designer from Georgia. He was the creative director for the fashion house Balenciaga for ten years. He also helped start his own brand, Vetements. In March 2025, it was announced that he would become the new creative director for Gucci.
Contents
Early Life and Learning
Demna was born in Georgia in 1981. When he was 10 years old, his family had to leave their home in Sukhumi because of a war. Their home was destroyed. Demna and his family traveled through the Caucasus Mountains to find safety in the capital city, Tbilisi. They also lived in Ukraine and Moscow for a while.
During his teenage years, Demna faced challenges and felt different from others. In 2001, Demna and his parents moved to Düsseldorf, Germany. Demna spoke German, so he helped his family deal with official paperwork. This experience made him interested in how people use clothing to show their role or authority in a group, like uniforms.
Demna first studied international economics at Tbilisi State University for four years. Later, he went to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp to study fashion design. He earned his Master's degree in 2006. After graduating, Demna moved to Paris. He felt like an outsider there because he didn't know anyone in the fashion world. Even though he hasn't gone back to Georgia, Demna says he feels a strong connection to his Georgian culture. He often includes parts of it in his designs.
Fashion Career
In 2006, Demna started working with designer Walter van Beirendonck on men's clothing collections.
In 2009, Demna opened a showroom in Antwerp with other designers. He then joined Maison Margiela and worked on women's collections until 2013. In 2013, he became a senior designer for women's ready-to-wear collections at Louis Vuitton. He worked under famous designers Marc Jacobs and later Nicolas Ghesquière.
In 2014, Demna and his brother Guram Gvasalia started their own fashion brand called Vetements. They worked with a small group of friends and showed their designs in small clubs in Paris. Demna wanted Vetements to challenge the traditional rules of high fashion. Their first women's collection was shown at Paris Fashion Week in 2014. After creating three collections, the brothers were nominated for a special award for young fashion designers.
In 2015, Demna became the creative director of Balenciaga, taking over from Alexander Wang.
In 2019, Demna left Vetements to try new artistic projects. He felt he had achieved his goals with the company, saying he had completed his mission as a "conceptualist and design innovator."
In August 2021, Demna worked with musician Kanye West. He was the creative director for West's album listening events for Donda.
At the 2021 Met Gala in New York City, Demna walked the red carpet with TV star Kim Kardashian. They both wore his unique head-to-toe black Balenciaga designs that covered their faces.
In March 2025, Demna was announced as the next creative director of Gucci. He took over from Sabato de Sarno.
Design Style
Demna developed a very unique style as his brand Vetements became popular. His main goal was to create fashion that challenged the usual ideas. For example, his Fall/Winter 2017 collection used designs inspired by everyday clothing, instead of the very fancy or unusual styles often seen in high fashion. He often uses baggy, loose-fitting clothes and street-style jackets in his designs.
In April 2021, he showed his new Pre-Fall 2021 collection for Balenciaga. This collection showed a new direction in his design and personal ideas.
Helping Others
Demna has used his fashion work to bring attention to the difficult times faced by Georgians during the war. He dedicated one of his Vetements collections to this topic. He even created an app that linked users to information about Georgia's struggles.
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Demna showed his support for Ukraine. He became an ambassador for United24, which is a fundraising platform started by the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Awards and Recognition
Demna has won several important awards for his work.
- In 2017, he won the International Award for both Vetements and Balenciaga at the CFDA Fashion Awards.
- In 2018, he won the Accessories Designer of the Year award at the Fashion Awards.
- In 2021, Gvasalia won the Global Women’s Designer award at the CFDA Fashion Awards.
- On September 27, 2021, the President of Georgia, Salome Zourabichvili, gave Demna the Order of Honor. This award recognized his efforts to make Georgia more well-known around the world.
Images for kids
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Demna's signature logo.
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The Order of Honor medal.
See also
In Spanish: Demna Gvasalia para niños
