Balenciaga 2002 - 2012

The Nicolas Ghesquiere and Dominique Gonzalez-Forester effect

The 2002-2012 era of Balenciaga retail design was special was a very special time for the brand, and should be noted by anybody interested in the design of retail spaces. The shops during this time were a great example of the art and design coming together seamlessly to create a magical spatial experiences.

Most of the shops during this era were designed by French artist Dominique Gonzalez-Forester under the directorship of then creative director Nicolas Ghesquière. They approched each shop individually, allowing each shop, in each city its own unique design and context. Gonzalez-Forester’s approach for the Balenciaga shops was to move away from the typical sterile white box/gallery look of typical showroom and create a feeling of landscape and deeply enveloping experiences. Her experience with interior spaces and large scale installations helped her tackle the challenges that come with designing retail spaces. She partnered with with Martial Virile and Benoit Lalloz to form Poste 9 to help with the architecture and and larger settings in the designs. Through her experience in film and scenography, she was able to pull inspiration  and references from books, images, and film scenes to create the setting for the spaces.

The period from 2002 to 2012 marked a noteworthy era of Balenciaga retail design that merits attention from enthusiasts of retail space design. The Balenciaga shops of this era exemplified a harmonious integration of art and design to create spatial experiences that were exceptional. Notably, most of the shops during this period were designed by French artist Dominique Gonzalez-Forester, working under the leadership of the then-creative director, Nicolas Ghesquière. Approving each shop as a unique project, they allowed each shop and city to have its own distinct design, contextualized for its specific location.

Gonzalez-Forester's approach to designing the Balenciaga shops was characterized by a departure from the conventional sterile white box/gallery appearance of typical showrooms, instead creating immersive landscapes and experiences. Her artistic works typically focused on interior spaces and large-scale installations, skillfully blurring the boundaries between design and architecture. Drawing inspiration from books, images, and film scenes, she leveraged her experience in film and scenography to create engaging environments. One note worthy reference that Gonzalez-Forester talked about was “a 1940 science fiction novel by Adolfo Biyo Casares called Invention of Morel, in which the same fantastic scene is endlessly repeated.” This helped set the scene for the Paris boutique. To facilitate the architecture and larger settings, Gonzalez-Forester collaborated with Martial Virile and Benoit Lalloz, forming Poste 9.

The period from 2002 to 2012 marked a noteworthy era of Balenciaga retail design that merits attention from enthusiasts of retail space design. The Balenciaga shops of this era exemplified a harmonious integration of art and design to create spatial experiences that were exceptional. Notably, most of the shops during this period were designed by French artist Dominique Gonzalez-Forester, working under the leadership of the then-creative director, Nicolas Ghesquière. Approving each shop as a unique project, they allowed each shop and city to have its own distinct design, contextualized for its specific location.

Gonzalez-Forester's approach to designing the Balenciaga shops was characterized by a departure from the conventional sterile white box/gallery appearance of typical showrooms, instead creating immersive landscapes and experiences. To help facilitate the architecture aspect of the projects, Gonzalez-Forester collaborated with Martial Virile and Benoit Lalloz, forming Poste 9. The studio’s site explains “Poste 9 explores space, fiction, time, landscape, color through innovative research and investigations that straddle different fields”. Gonzalez-Forester and Poste 9 did just that with the Balanciaga boutiques. Drawing inspiration from books, images, and film scenes, she leveraged her experience in film and scenography to create engaging environments. One note worthy reference she has talked about was “a 1940 science fiction novel by Adolfo Biyo Casares called Invention of Morel, in which the same fantastic scene is endlessly repeated.” This book helped set the framework for the Paris boutique.

With these spaces we see a textbook example of the influence other forms of art and design can have in creating architectural spaces that are intended to be experienced.

Images By Poste9