TRANSMISSIONS
Cristóbal
Balenciaga
Museum
Heritage and
new creation
Programme
The contemporary nature of Cristóbal Balenciaga’s legacy is a permanent source of inspiration for fashion and the Cristóbal Balenciaga Museum understands that it is within its mission to share its knowledge of Balenciaga’s work, technique and values to present and future creators.
With this in mind, in 2018, the Museum launched the first edition of TRANSMISSIONS, an educational project directed to International Fashion Schools and their students, which provides a firsthand immersive experience into Balenciaga’s universe through research, reflection and creation.
The project is designed to be an integral part of the curriculum of the participating schools, and not just an optional extracurricular activity. It provides a theme for research: “Balenciaga and the revolution of the silhouette” and a context that immerses students in the philosophy, technique and biography of Cristóbal Balenciaga.
The starting point of this process is a field trip to the Museum in Balenciaga’s home village, thereby granting the students access to pieces from its archives. In a subsequent part of the program, the participants develop their own personal creative project that ties their vision to the new perspective gained through their research, and finally a selection of the students’ works are exhibited in the Museum, showcasing new talent and completing the cycle from the archive to new creation and from new creation to future Museum collection.
Museum
The Cristóbal Balenciaga Museum, which opened its doors on 7 June 2011, is located in the town where the couturier was born to commemorate the early years of his professional training and development and to better understand his contributions to the world of fashion.
With the aim of shedding light on Balenciaga’s life and work, his relevance in the history of fashion and design, and the contemporaneity of his legacy, the Museum houses a unique collection. Its vast archive, boasting almost 5,000 pieces and counting thanks to continuous loans and donations, and its wide-ranging formal and chronicle extension that includes even the earliest existing models by the couturier, make this one of the most complete, consistent and interesting collections of its kind.
Schools
In the 2019-2021 edition, TRAMSISSIONS project connects the Museum with some of the most important Fashion Design Schools in the world, such as:
- Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture
- Accademia Costume e Moda
- ArtEZ University of the Arts
- Bilbao International Art & Fashion
- Central Saint Martins – University of the Arts London
- Iceland University of the Arts
- IED Madrid
- Osaka Institute of Fashion
- Parsons School of Design
- Kyoto Seika University
- Shenkar College of Engineering, Design and Arts
- The Royal Danish Academy
