27 Jul 2023
To celebrate Qixi Festival, Balenciaga is launching a special series of products and a dedicated campaign, each inspired by the spontaneity and endurance of love. The series is available in Balenciaga stores throughout mainland China and on balenciaga.cn starting July 21st, 2023.
Wardrobe staples like large fit T-shirts, hoodies, sweatpants/shorts, jean-style jersey jackets, and baseball caps are washed and pre-worn, showing signs of affection, and embroidered in a handstitched manner with the outline of a heart and the words “Je t’aime.” Pajama pants and shirts in bright red show a subtle repeating jacquard pattern of the words “I love you.”
Signature Balenciaga accessories are reimagined with maximalist approaches: Le Cagole bags, Explorer backpacks and belt bags, and Paris high tops and mules are pierced allover with circular barbells in silver metal; Hourglass bags and Marie- Antoinette pumps are covered in bow-tied ribbons; Crush bags and Pool slides are seen in pink leopard-print fake fur.
Photographs and videos by Shinichi Tsutsui capture real-life couples wearing pieces from the Balenciaga Qixi 23 Series. On the streets of Shanghai, the pairs candidly pose together and, in short clips, tell the stories of how they first met. Shinichi Tsutsui is a New York City based street photographer. His ongoing project since 2015, #TheWayYouWEREThatDay seeks to capture people, fashion, and cities in the moment to preserve the nature of youth, trends, and scenes.
