Demna Gvasalia (Georgian: დემნა გვასალია dem-NAH gvah-SAH-lee-AH; born 25 March 1981), known mononymously as Demna[2] (/dɛmnʌ/ dem-NAH) is a Georgian fashion designer. Having served for a decade as the creative director of Balenciaga and the co-founder of Vetements,[3] in March 2025 he was announced as the next creative director of Gucci.[4]
Demna was born in Georgia in 1981.[3] During the War in Abkhazia, and the accompanying ethnic cleansing of Georgians, 10-year-old Demna and his family had to flee Sukhumi following an attack by separatist forces, who destroyed his home in a bombing. Demna and his family undertook a journey through the Caucasus Mountains, eventually reaching the capital Tbilisi where they took refuge.[3] The family subsequently also lived in Ukraine and Moscow.[5] During his teenage years, Demna experienced bullying as a gay youth in a “very religious, very macho” country.[6] Demna and his parents relocated to Düsseldorf, Germany in 2001.[5] Demna, who spoke German, served as the family’s intermediary. His experience navigating a "hardcore" bureaucracy heightened his interest in “sociological uniforms,” which include jackets, caps, armbands, boots, badges, and patches used by individuals to indicate authority within a group.[3]
Demna studied international economics for four years at Tbilisi State University[7] and later attended the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, where he graduated with a Master's degree in Fashion Design in 2006.[8] After graduating, Demna relocated to Paris, where he said that he was just “some Georgian weird guy” with no established connections or network, as he had not participated in fashion events.[6] Though he has not returned to Georgia, Demna has stated that "he feels deeply connected to Georgian culture, which he often incorporates into his work".[3]
In 2006, Demna collaborated with Walter van Beirendonck on his men’s collections.[8]
In 2009, Demna opened a showroom in Antwerp with Yuima Nakazato and Mikio Sakabe.[9] Demna joined Maison Martin Margiela, where he was responsible for women’s collections until 2013.[10][11] In 2013, he was appointed senior designer of women’s ready-to-wear collections at Louis Vuitton, initially under Marc Jacobs and briefly under Nicolas Ghesquière.[8]
Together with his brother Guram Gvasalia, Demna launched the brand Vetements in 2014, along with a small group of anonymous friends, displaying their work in small gay clubs in Paris.[12][13] Demna has said that his original purpose with the brand was to subvert the high fashion status quo.[12] Vetements’ first women’s ready-to-wear collection was presented at Paris Fashion Week in 2014.[11] The brothers were nominated for the LVMH’s Young Fashion Designer Prize after producing 3 collections.[14]
In 2015, Demna became the creative director of Balenciaga, succeeding Alexander Wang. During Demna's ten year tenure at Balenciaga, revenues grew close to $2 billion from an estimated $390 million.[15][16][17]
In 2019, Demna departed Vetements to pursue new artistic ventures, having accomplished his goals with the company, telling Highsnobiety that he had "accomplished [his] mission of a conceptualist and design innovator."[18]
In August 2021, Demna collaborated with Kanye West, acting as the creative director for West’s second and third Donda album listening event, held at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.[19][20]
At the 2021 Met Gala at New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art, Demna walked the stairs with reality television star Kim Kardashian, both in his head-to-toe body feature obscuring Black Balenciaga designs completely masked, with Vogue offering that events rules had been rewritten.[21]
In March 2025, he was announced as the next creative director of Gucci, succeeding Sabato De Sarno. [22]
Demna developed a unique style as his and Guram's company, Vetements, grew in size and popularity. Much of Demna's approach has stemmed from his initial purpose of creating subversive fashion. Collections such as Fall/Winter 2017 included design inspired by archetypes, diverging from the typical haute couture method of radical redesign and avant-garde appearance.[12] Other common themes include baggy, loose-fitting clothing, and street-style jackets.[23] In April 2021 he presented his new Pre-Fall 2021 collection with the Balenciaga brand, marking a new line of design and personal thinking, as promoted by Vanity Teen magazine.[24]
Demna has used his creative work to raise awareness of war crimes committed against Georgians, dedicating one of his Vetements' collections to this theme and featuring a downloadable application linking users to information on Georgia's struggles.[26]
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Demna expressed support for Ukraine and became an ambassador of United24, a fundraising platform initiated by the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.[27]
Demna won the International Award for Vetements and Balenciaga at the CFDA Fashion Awards in 2017. He also won the Accessories Designer of the Year award at the Fashion Awards 2018.[28][29] Gvasalia won the Global Women’s Designer award at the CFDA Fashion Awards in 2021. On 27 September 2021, Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili awarded Demna with the Order of Honor for his contributions to the popularization of Georgia abroad.[30]
In 2020, Demna was accused of plagiarizing another artist's work without authorization. Both the designer and Balenciaga denied the allegations, recalling past artists who have used "everyday objects" as an inspiration in their art.[31]
In December 2022, Demna apologized after Balenciaga ran a controversial ad campaign featuring six children holding teddy bears, which were dressed in BDSM gear, amidst empty wine glasses and champagne flutes.[32][33] [34] In his February 2023 interview with Vogue, Demna stated that the ad campaign “unfortunately was the wrong idea and a bad decision from me”,[35] subsequently telling The New Yorker that “I didn’t see the creepy part of it. But it’s obvious now.”[36]
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