TAKE THE LEAD

He is often called a fashion disruptor, but no way was Demna going to let the brutal war in Ukraine cancel his Winter 22 show for Balenciaga, even if it meant confronting his traumatic experience as a Georgian child refugee. The defiant creative director put forth a compelling case for courage, turning the presentation into a powerful show of personal strength and support to the ravaged Eastern European country. The finale dress, an allusion to Ukraine’s flag with the sky-blue and extremely long flag-like train, makes a poignant dedication “to fearlessness, to resistance, and to the victory of love and peace”.