A Unique Tribute to the Creativity of a Haute Couture Master
Milan, the fashion capital, was transformed into a stage to celebrate one of the greatest couturiers of all time: Cristóbal Balenciaga. At Palazzo Morando, the exhibition ‘CRISTÓBAL BALENCIAGA | Shoes from Spain Tribute’ came to life, a monographic exhibition that compared the genius of the Spanish master with the contemporary creativity of the Iberian footwear industry.
The event offered a new perspective on his legacy through the prism of footwear, celebrating the 130th anniversary of his birth. Javier Echeverría Sola, organiser and curator of the exhibition, gave shape to a project passionately promoted by the Federation of Spanish Footwear Industries (FICE), represented by its president Rosana Perán, and great footwear professionals such as Salvador Gómez Sanchez.
‘This exhibition is a dialogue between the values of creativity, quality, excellence, know-how and innovation that characterised the Haute Couture ateliers of master Cristóbal Balenciaga. Values that are still alive in the craftsmanship of our shoe companies, as we like to say, travelling from tradition to innovation,’ said Rosana Perán, emphasising the thread that links the Balenciaga myth to the excellence of Made in Spain.
“Prestige is more important than fame prestige lasts, while fame is ephemeral”
Cristobàl Balenciaga
The exhibition itinerary, designed by Elisa Ossino Studio, managed to combine past and present, haute couture and craftsmanship: twenty-five iconic models by Cristóbal Balenciaga from prestigious museum and private collections. These masterpieces dialogued with exclusive creations by other Spanish footwear brands that reinterpreted the couturier’s DNA in a contemporary key. The beating heart of this exhibition was undoubtedly the tribute offered by Spanish footwear companies. Brands such as Pedro Garcìa, Kanna, Casteller, Martinelli, Pretty Ballerinas, Pons Quintana to name but a few, created unique shoes especially for the event, demonstrating the vitality and creativity of the sector.
For this project, FICE also involved artisans skilled in embroidery and applied arts to enhance Spanish craft skills Archive materials, photographs and period newspapers have helped reconstruct the creative context in which Balenciaga worked..
The display, saw a dialogue between iconic dresses such as the ‘Infanta’ dress from 1939 and the evening suit worn by the Countess of Torroella de Montgrí in 1962, and contemporary creations. Queen Letizia also contributed to the tribute, posing for Annie Leibovitz in the original raspberry-coloured cape previously worn by the Countess.
The exhibition also explored Balenciaga’s more intimate side, with a section devoted to clothes that belonged to Sonsoles Diez de Rivera and her mother, the Marquise de Llanzol, both clients and friends of the couturier. The fuchsia silk taffeta cocktail dress, in which Sonsoles was presented to Hubert de Givenchy in 1955, has become an iconic moment.
Among the unique creations on display are the silver silk brocade sari dress worn by mezzo-soprano Teresa Berganza in 1965 and a stunning ivory silk shantung wedding dress inspired by the capes of the virgins of Seville. ‘CRISTÓBAL BALENCIAGA | Shoes from Spain Tribute’ was supported by ICEX www.icex.es as main sponsor, and the governments of the Spanish autonomous communities with a strong footwear tradition.
By Dinah de Fina