When the great Cristobal Balanciaga closed the doors of his haute couture house in 1968 he regretted that there is no longer anyone worth dressing. The house remained in a lethargic state for decades until in 1997 the Frenchman, Nicholas Ghesquière, 26, was appointed creative director after the departure of Josephus Thimister. He later won the Vogue / VH1 Avant Garde Designer of the Year Award and in 2001 the CFDA Womenswear Designer of the Year Award. Suzy Menkes, of The International Herald Tribune, considered him “the most intriguing and original stylist of his generation.

Although he was relatively unknown when Balanciaga hired him, Guesquière’s life was always linked to fashion. He started working in Agnès B. and Corinne Cobson’s ateliers while still a student at Loudon, in the center of France. At the age of 19 he became Gaultiere’s assistant after Mugler, before a brief stint as Trussardi as main stylist. His great achievement, however, was to resurrect the Balenciaga style. The short military-style satin pants she created for Spring / Summer 2001 were the most copied pieces of the season, and neoprene dresses for Spring / Summer 2003 kept Balenciaga on top in both creative and commercial terms.

In 2002, a men’s collection was launched, one year after the acquisition of the Gucci Group by the Gucci Group, and for the 2005 Autumn / Winter Guesquière collection, it featured èvasè leather dresses adorned with clear ostrich feathers and an insinuating cut, adjusted by chrome clasps. In 2006, the stylist was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world by TIME Magazine (“TIME’s 100 Most Influential People.” According to Domenico de Sole, Gucci’s former CEO: Balanciaga had a fantastic asset: Nicolas Guesquière.

The talented stylist left the house Balanciaga after 15 years of collaboration. In 2014 he was appointed CEO of Loui Vuitton in place of Marc Jacobs. Loui Vuitton is part of the large group of LVMH companies.

By James Sherwood, Edited by Terry Jones & Susie Rushton

Photo by Tesh – Model: Bridget Hall