Demna (designer) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Demna
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Demna in 2021
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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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| Spouse(s) |
Loïk Gomez
(m. 2017) |
| Relatives | Guram Gvasalia (brother) |
| Awards | Order of Honor .jpg){kind=small} |
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Demna Gvasalia (born March 25, 1981), known simply as Demna, is a Georgian fashion designer. He is currently the creative director of Balenciaga. He also co-founded the fashion brand Vetements.
Early Life and Education
Demna was born in Georgia in 1981. When he was 12, his family had to leave their home because of a war. This was the 1992-1993 war in Abkhazia. They moved to Tbilisi, another city in Georgia. From 2001, his family lived in Düsseldorf, Germany.
Demna first studied international economics for four years. He attended Tbilisi State University. After that, he went to the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Belgium. He earned a Master's degree in Fashion Design there in 2006.
Career in Fashion
In 2006, Demna worked with designer Walter van Beirendonck. He helped with his men’s clothing collections.
In 2009, Demna opened a showroom in Antwerp with two friends. He then joined Maison Martin Margiela, a famous fashion house. He was in charge of women’s collections until 2013. In 2013, he became a senior designer at Louis Vuitton. He designed women’s ready-to-wear collections there.
Demna and his brother Guram Gvasalia started their own brand called Vetements in 2014. They worked with a small group of friends. They showed their designs in small clubs in Paris. Demna wanted Vetements to challenge the usual ideas of high fashion. Vetements showed its first women’s collection at Paris Fashion Week in 2014. The brothers were nominated for a special award after making three collections.
In 2015, Demna became the creative director of Balenciaga. He took over from designer Alexander Wang.
In 2019, Demna left Vetements to try new artistic projects. He felt he had achieved his goals with the company. He told Highsnobiety that he had "accomplished [his] mission of a conceptualist and design innovator."
In August 2021, Demna worked with musician Kanye West. He was the creative director for West’s listening events for his Donda album. These events took place at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
At the 2021 Met Gala in New York City, Demna walked with reality television star Kim Kardashian. They both wore his unique head-to-toe black Balenciaga designs. Their faces were completely covered by masks.
Style
Demna developed a very unique style as his company, Vetements, became popular. His fashion approach often aims to challenge traditional fashion ideas. For example, his Fall/Winter 2017 collection was inspired by everyday clothing. This was different from the usual radical designs of haute couture. Other common features in his designs include baggy, loose-fitting clothes and street-style jackets.
In April 2021, he showed his new Pre-Fall 2021 collection for the Balenciaga brand. This collection showed a new direction in his design and personal ideas.
Humanitarian Work
Demna has used his fashion work to bring attention to important issues. He has raised awareness about past conflicts in Georgia. He even dedicated one of his Vetements collections to this theme. It included an app that gave users information about Georgia's struggles.
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Demna showed his support for Ukraine. He became an ambassador for United24. This is a fundraising platform started by the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Awards
Demna has won several important awards for his work.
- In 2017, he won the International Award for Vetements and Balenciaga. This was 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 known around the world.
See also
- David Koma, Georgian fashion designer, former creative director of Mugler]
