Luxury fashion house Balenciaga has wiped its Instagram account, with just one post left: revealing Kim Kardashian as its new face.
The news doesn’t come as a huge surprise, as the 41-year-old has been increasingly wearing Balenciaga’s futuristic designs, both on and off the red carpet. Who could forget her all-black outfit for the 2021 Met Gala, with her whole body – down to her face – covered in swathes of material?
Then, of course, there was the bright pink velvet bodysuit she wore to host Saturday Night Live…
…not to mention a whole range of slim-fitting Balenciaga catsuits she’s been posting on Instagram, often worn with built-in stilettos, gloves, trains and face masks.
For the new Balenciaga campaign, Kardashian is pictured in her natural habitat: taking selfies in her strikingly white Calabasas home. In one image, she’s wearing a sleek black catsuit – very much the bread and butter of the brand – with an acid green handbag by her side (known as Le Cagole, this is Balenciaga’s bid for the new It bag).
In some of the other campaign photos, she’s wearing a leopard-print coat and also a futuristic black coat (with Balenciaga’s signature silhouette: exaggerated hips and shoulders), while clutching a miniature silver bag.
The images have struck a chord with shoppers, and Love The Sales has reported a 217% rise in searches for ‘silver bags’ (compared to the last 24 hours), along with a 200% surge in demand for ‘Balenciaga dresses’ and a 16% jump in searches for ‘Balenciaga bags’.
Kardashian isn’t the only celebrity to feature in the new campaign. Legendary French actor Isabelle Huppert has also made an appearance, wearing a black gown with big shades in one snap, and leggings with an athleisure-style top in another. The 68-year-old is a long-time fan of the brand, wearing its creations everywhere, from the Met Gala to the Cannes red carpet.
Kardashian’s obsession with Balenciaga seems to be working for her – she was given the Fashion Award at the People’s Choice Awards in November 2021, wearing an outfit by the luxury brand (a textured black bodysuit and a corset over the top with bug-inspired sunglasses, if you were wondering). She said in her speech: “Thank you to Kanye… For really introducing me to the fashion world. I fell in love with fashion and I’m so inspired by so many people, but again, this is a dream that I get to wake up and wear these amazing clothes and try new things, take a risk.”
Her estranged husband Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) played a big role in reinventing Kardashian as a fashion icon, and he helped introduce her to Balenciaga’s standout signature style. The couple might be separated, but they’re both still working with the brand – in early January, Ye announced an upcoming collaboration with Balenciaga and Gap. The line is known as Yeezy Gap Engineered by Balenciaga, and clothes are set to be released in June.
With both Kardashian and Ye involved in Balenciaga, the luxury fashion house’s domination of the world shows no sign of slowing down.
