Cristóbal Balenciaga

Cristóbal Balenciaga Eizaguirre (January 21, 1895, Spain – March 23, 1972, Spain) was a Spanish fashion designer and the founder of the Balenciaga fashion house.


Balenciaga was born in Getaria, a fishing town in the Basque province of Gipuzkoa, on January 21, 1895.. In 1955, he designed the tunic dress, which later developed into the chemise dress of 1957. And eventually, in 1959, his work culminated in the Empire line, with high-waisted dresses and coats cut like kimonos. His often spare, sculptural creations were considered masterworks of haute couture in the 1950s and 1960s.

Balenciaga closed his house in 1968 at the age of 74 after working in Paris for 30 years. He decided to retire and closed his fashion houses in Paris, Barcelona and Madrid, one after the other.

He taught fashion design classes, inspiring other designers such as Oscar de la Renta, André Courrèges, Emanuel Ungaro, Mila Schön and Hubert de Givenchy.Today the Balenciaga fashion house continues under the direction of Nicolas Ghesquière and under the ownership of the Gucci Group.

Balenciaga died March 23, 1972 in Jávea, Spain.