How does Demna Gvasalia electrify the heritage of Balenciaga?
Number: Has your childhood in Georgia been happy?
Demna Gvasalia: I grew up in the Soviet world, where all forms of expression were limited and where fashion absolutely did not exist.Everyone wore the same clothes.Then, when I was about 10 years old, the Soviet Union broke out and a civil war followed.My childhood was therefore a very unstable moment, with ups and downs.This is why I have always looked for a form of stability, and that is probably what motivated me to settle in Switzerland.I needed a place that gives me a feeling of security, where I would not be worried if I walk in the street at night.I have known somewhat intense situations in Paris, because, at the beginning, I did not know the city, and of course you have to learn your codes.Today, I like to come to Paris for my work, because I know that I can go back to my forest in Switzerland immediately after.
What was your environment when you were a teenager in post -Soviet Georgia?Have you witnessed the birth of underground subcultures?
To be honest, at that time I did not know all subcultures.Today, when I look back, I realize that they existed.It was very exciting to live my adolescence in this post -Soviet world, because suddenly a ton of information happened to us: music, films, fashion, visual culture from West.All this had a huge impact on me.I discovered Gothic music, hip-hop and the different clothing cultures associated with it.It was therefore a very rich era, much happier than my childhood, despite wars and tragic political events.
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Was Western culture fully dubbed by youth?
Yes !When I had my first five -pocket Jean Levi’s, for example, it was an event for all my neighborhood.People wanted to look at him because they had never seen American jeans before.And for me who already liked clothes and fashion, my adolescence was a golden age, I made so many discoveries.I thought all the clothes were made by a single factory, since everyone wore the same thing.I didn't even know there were fashion designers.And suddenly, I discovered fashion magazines.In fact, we did not have access to the original versions, but to pirate copies of magazines, CDs and all the western culture, which were sold Gvasalia on the black market.And we did not have the internet, so I actively looked for all means of having access to this information.I felt like I lived in a cellar all my life, of never having seen daylight.
When did you know you were homosexual?And what impact did it have on your life?
I think I always knew it, but it took me a long time to accept it, because I grew up in a country where the mentality was very homophobic, and is still, unfortunately.So I stayed in the closet until about 20 years old.This is one of the reasons why I emigrated: I knew I would not be free in my country.But I was also faced with homophobia in the streets of Paris, as well as in Switzerland.Unfortunately, I think we live in an era which, in this regard, is worse than the previous one.Where I come from, we can even be killed because we are homosexual.I was even afraid of my own family.Today, I work in fashion where homosexuality is supposed to be completely accepted, but even there, I sometimes feel homophobia.Sometimes we are confronted with people of power who are quite conservative and very narrow spirit towards gays.So I try to use my fashion as a platform to evoke this question, because, in my eyes, it is important.I do it through my creations, and by different actions, by supporting organizations that help young LGBTQI+.The current world is difficult, violent, and it is especially in the minorities.
