For his final couture collection at Balenciaga, Demna didn’t look back in nostalgia — he moved forward with focus.

“This collection is the perfect way for me to finish my decade at Balenciaga,” he wrote in a letter accompanying the collection. “I have come as close as possible to being satisfied in this endless pursuit of impossible perfection” — a phrase he described as the “defining ethos of Cristóbal Balenciaga.”

Staged at the House’s salons on Avenue George V, the Autumn 2025 couture show was stripped of theatrics. In their place: sculptural silhouettes, minimalist architecture, and uncompromising construction. It was a sharp departure from the spectacle often associated with Demna’s Balenciaga. Instead, he chose to end this chapter with precision and restraint.

The collection focused on construction, silhouette, and technical expertise. Tailoring for women took cues from bourgeois dress codes — tulip lapels that framed the face, sculpted shoulders, and high, built necklines that referenced both Medici collars and gothic costume. Corsetry was reengineered for comfort, shaping the House's signature exaggerated hourglass silhouette through “comfortable corsetry” rather than rigid structure.

Menswear included a set of nine unstructured Neapolitan suits, all originally fitted to a bodybuilder, then worn by models with varying body types. As Demna put it, “It is not the garment that defines the body, but the body that defines the garment."

Eveningwear drew from Old Hollywood — a recurring reference in Demna’s work. There was a pink organza “Debutante” gown, a black sequinned “Diva” dress inspired by Marilyn Monroe, and a feather-embroidered coat worn by Kim Kardashian, layered over a silk slip in homage to Elizabeth Taylor. Isabelle Huppert, a longtime muse, appeared in a sharply tailored black skirt suit, while Naomi Campbell walked in a sweeping, sculptural gown.

References to Cristóbal Balenciaga were woven throughout — “consciously, and subconsciously,” as Demna wrote. A standout moment came in the form of the Danielle suit: a recreation of a houndstooth ensemble worn in 1967, re-cut with what Demna described as “the Cristóbal Balenciaga attitude she embodies.” The final look — a seamless guipure lace gown, shaped using millinery techniques — was worn by longtime muse Eliza Douglas. Demna described it as “the ultimate minimal sculptural gown,” meant to represent everything the House stands for.

As always, there was an unflinching attention to detail throughout. Corduroy pants were crafted from 300 km of tufted embroidery, while logos on handbags were replaced with the names of the wearers. Elsewhere, a jewellery-box briefcase and tissue-paper flower brooches, crafted from scraps collected off the atelier floor, added layers to the collection's subtle storytelling.

The show’s soundtrack featured the voices of Demna’s team and collaborators, each saying their own name — ending with his. Then came Sade’s 'No Ordinary Love', a personal choice the designer described as the soundtrack of his life since childhood.