The Balenciaga fashion house of Madrid has been one of the leading European designers for more than half a century since it was set up by the legendary Cristobal Balenciaga. Balenciaga died in 1972 and left behind an empire that encompassed clothes, luxury goods, and of course, a fantastic line of perfumes that were designed to make people feel great about themselves.

Balenciaga first rose to prominence when he opened his first boutique in San Sebastian in 1914, and drew the appreciation of the locals. He was soon supplying fine fashion to the people of Spain, and gained a reputation as one of the most gifted designers of the era.

One of the most remarkable things about Balenciaga was that he was able to take charge of every aspect of the creation and production of his clothing. He would design the outfits himself, then cut the fabric into shape, and sew the various pieces together to finish the dress for his client. This gave him an incredible degree of control over his outfits, and allowed him to pay close attention to the needs of those who would wear them.

Unlike other designers, both then and now, Balenciaga was able to give his full attention to the client, and create an item of clothing that would be completely in tune with their needs.

He carried this control through into all other aspects of his growing empire, taking the raw materials for his fragrances, and blending them himself to create the impression that he sought. He would blend and even design the bottles that the perfume was to come in especially for each perfume.

In the later years of his career, even through Cristobal Balenciaga gave up fashion, hating the cheapening influence of the French Pret a Porter movement, and instead began to teach a new generation of designers about his vision for personal design and what true haute couture meant.

Today, Balenciaga lives on as a Gucci signature brand that still appeals to the very elite of the fashion conscious from all over the world and remains at the very forefront of design for those who genuinely care about what fashion can be.

Top Perfumes by Balenciaga: Cristobal Perfume ; Rumba Perfume ; Talisman Perfume

See all Cristobal Balenciaga Perfumes