Mobile phones and fashion: How Balenciaga Resort 2021 captures our time Selfie explained.

Balenciaga definitely knows its customers, and the Resort 2021 lookbook is proof that the French house captures perfectly today’s Zeitgeist. The luxury fashion brand found a smart way to catch our attention, putting together mobile phones and fashion. To show the pre-spring 2021 collection, Demna Gvasalia presents photos of the models looking down their mobile phones instead of posing.

Zeitgeist or marketing strategy?

The pre-spring photos include the description of each garment and accessory. In this manner, Balenciaga’s lookbook is a virtual showroom, perfect for Fashion Week digital. In addition to capturing our time with models holding phones or making the cheeky #tongueout Instagram pose, Balenciaga resort 2021 is an incredible marketing strategy.

The fashion shots with ubiquitous mobile phones are aimed at the younger generation. It means, if young people cannot afford a coat, for example, they still can buy a product from the luxury brand; a cell phone case or a small phone holder to carry around the neck. In fact, Balenciaga elevates everyday objects. Mobile phone cases and cash card cases on keyring turn into luxurious fashion accessories and objects of desire.

Styling and technology

Unfailingly innovative and contemporary, Balenciaga Resort 2021 is an exercise of styling to show you don’t always need something new. In fact, the off-season is for Gvasalia an opportunity to elaborate on the house’s signature pieces. “Fashion has become a race, running after novelty, and more and more. And here we did the opposite. We looked at what we have and asked what we can do with it, so it looks different for the customer.”

He combines fashion and technology cleverly, like for example, the mobile phones the young – and not so young – can’t live without for their Instagram selfies and TikTok. The creative director of Balenciaga transforms cell phones into stylish fashion accessories, in a fun nod to his customers. Or could it be a critic?

Mobile phones and fashion, and comfort

The typical oversized coats and hoodies, tracksuits and t-shirts, talk about comfort, so important in theses lockdown times. Also, destroyed turtlenecks and knitted skirts look as comfy as handmade clothes you’ve worn for ages. But the fashion designer also points out the importance of dressing up, even when working from home, to avoid feeling depressed. He says, “When I started to dress up every morning, it changed my whole mood. I started to feel good about myself.”

Excitement and goodness

Besides street style comfort, Balenciaga’s designer believes fashion has to bring excitement or goodness to the person wearing it. For example, the resort 2021 collection includes the already iconic over-the-knee boots. Additionally, the pantashoes, those shoes-pants hybrids, allow you to be ready and look glamorous in one easy step.  

Photos courtesy of Balenciaga.