Shanghai was the place of the grand launch of Balenciaga‘s Spring 2025 Ready-to-Wear collection, which featured super-elongated, vertical silhouettes inspired by Pudong’s towering high-rises, alluding to the city’s famous cityscape. The collection showed the avant-garde aesthetic of the house by reimagining classic shapes with deconstructed new hourglass forms. Layers of visual intrigue were added to silk costumes with trompe l’oeil treatments that mimicked textures like fox fur, crocodile, and cable knit. Innovative designs that gave the impression of pantashoes, jeans, and shirts, as well as hourglass skirts and full digital-print bodysuits, were also on display, as well as utilizing of unconventional materials for couture gowns.
Balenciaga also unveiled notable collaborations as part of the collection. The Balenciaga | Under Armour series, released exclusively following the Shanghai runway show, merged Under Armour’s technical fabrics with Balenciaga’s signature silhouettes. This limited series included hoodies, T-shirts, caps, shorts, sweatpants, and socks, all featuring a unique logomark combining both brands’ logos. Another collaboration with the revered Shanghainese restaurant Nu Xiang Mu Dou introduced custom dim sum and packaging, blending French black truffle with traditional xiao long bao, served in bamboo steamer boxes.
The Balenciaga x Under Armour Spring 2025 collaboration includes eight items: zip-up and front pocket hoodies, oversized T-shirts, notched-brim embroidered baseball caps, large shorts, baggy sweatpants, and socks, all featuring a unique logomark that juxtaposes the iconic logos of both brands, available in black or red. To promote this unique collaboration, a dedicated campaign will showcase models wearing the exclusive pieces through the lens of a home aquarium. This limited collection will be available in select stores and online. Take a closer look at it in the Gallery below:
To celebrate its first show in Shanghai, Balenciaga has partnered with the esteemed Shanghainese restaurant Nu Xiang Mu Dou at Xintiandi. This collaboration, running from May 29th to June 2nd, 2024, honors local cuisine and culture by offering exclusive customized dim sum and takeaway packaging. Diners can enjoy their meals under tiered pyramidal umbrellas featuring Balenciaga’s signature grey coloring and bilingual logomarks.
One of the highlights of this collaboration is the custom-created Balenciaga steamed vegan xiao long bao, featuring a juicy filling made with French black truffle and a tender, grey-tinted skin, presented in a warped bamboo steamer box. Additionally, Nu Xiang Mu Dou will offer a customized win-win cake stamped with the Balenciaga double-B logo. This regional specialty, wrapped in custom Balenciaga grey paper, symbolizes good fortune and celebration.
Immediately following the Balenciaga Spring 25 show on May 30, 2024, in Shanghai, a limited-edition T-shirt created in collaboration with Alipay will be exclusively available. This special item will be sold in selected Balenciaga stores, via the WeChat mini-program, on bal.cn, and Tmall. The Balenciaga x Alipay T-shirt, newly debuted on the runway, features a washed black oversized fit, combining the iconic white Balenciaga logo with Alipay’s emblem, the world’s leading digital payment and lifestyle service platform serving over a billion users.
