Balenciaga Creative Director Demna Gvasalia Presented With Medal of Honor from President of Georgia

Demna Gvasalia — creative director of Balenciaga — was presented with the Medal of Honor by the President of Georgia Salome Zourabichvili on Monday. The visionary, who frequently collaborates with Kanye West, was awarded the distinction “for his contribution to the popularization of Georgia abroad,” according to a local news report from Agenda.

“Demna, it is a great honor to give you the Medal of Honor,” President Zurabichvili wrote on Twitter. “Today is a commemoration of the Fall of Sokhumi, a day of mourning for Georgia, but giving you this award means that somewhere, we’ve won.”

“Demna Gvasalia is a model for the next generation of creative Georgians,” the president concluded.

Demna, it is a great honor to give you the Medal of Honor. Today is a commemoration of the Fall of Sokhumi, a day of mourning for Georgia, but giving you this award means that somewhere, we’ve already won.

Demna Gvasalia is a model for the next generation of creative Georgians pic.twitter.com/yuEcpIYKGG

— Salome Zourabichvili (@Zourabichvili_S) September 27, 2021

Aside from crafting his own collections, the creative director last month designed the highly sought-after merchandise for West’s DONDA listening event at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Those designs, which included $100 USD beige and black iterations of long-sleeve shirts boasting the album’s name and date alongside a Star of David with a crucifix in its center, single-handedly broke the record for highest-grossing U.S. tour with a total of $7 million USD in revenue.

Earlier this year, the designer unveiled his first Balenciaga couture collection, marking the first time the House has shown couture since the closure of the atelier in 1968. Additionally, his work lent sartorial inspiration to Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele’s Balenciaga “Hacking Lab” on the former brand’s 100th-anniversary runway.

Elsewhere in fashion, indulge in Carhartt WIP’s new “Venture” capsule.