A guru of designs, a messiah of fashion, a man of revolutionary ideas and style. Nicolas Ghesquiere has been taking the world by storm since the mid nineties with his innovative taste for clothing . Dressing high class celebrities, rockers, and the like minded fashionistas of the world has been Nicolas’ expertise. Designing, however, has been a love of his since he was eleven. His signature silhouette consists of skinny pants with well tailored jackets and his color choice is most often black, white, and cream. Despite the thirty five year old’s eminent success, Ghesquiere has, for the last thirteen years, chosen to work under a house name rather than pursue a career as an independent designer under his own.

Nicolas has been nurturing a love affair with Balenciaga since 1997 when he was appointed creative director of the revered fashion house. While several worldwide flagship stores known as the House of Balenciaga proudly display his pieces, some lesser priced items can be found in higher end retail department stores such as Nieman Marcus. Ghesquiere’s style is reflective of historic periods and he has been very successful with combining historic designs with street clothing styles. Often, there are waiting lists for his work immediately following his collections first appearance on the runway. Nicolas has been diligent about maintaining the philosophy of the late Cristóbal Balenciaga for whom the House is named after which is to create designs for the “real woman in the real world” . Ghesquiere has made it clear that he is deeply connected to the label despite his desire to one day pursue his own.

Although, French-born Nicolas Ghesquiere has been lending his fashion vision to Balenciaga for the past nine years it is his own personal style that has time and time again won him acclaim. Combining street style with historical costumes reminiscent of Baroque periods has been a huge success for the 35 year old designer with a color palette that is also reflective of historical costume. Ghesquiere’s pieces are far from outdated, however, and have consistently wowed front-row runway crowds including Sienna Miller, Nicky Hilton, and Gwyneth Paltrow who have all been known to wear his designs. Ghesquiere’s designs are not limited to the silhouetted style that has helped make him famous. He also designs wedding gowns and is credited for creating the gown worn by Nicole Kidman for her wedding to Keith Urban as well as the gowns worn by her bridesmaids. Also very popular are Nicolas’ handbags which usually have a waiting list far too long for most people to even get their name onto. Although, few less expensive designs can be purchased at Neiman Marcus for around a thousand dollars. Nicolas Ghesquiere is a high fashion designer with designer prices and consequently attracts a target market that can afford this lifestyle.

The type of individual who would purchase Nicolas Ghesquiere’s pieces care a great deal about fashion and quality. Since many of Balenciaga’s well desired pieces do not blatantly display the label it can be assumed that the customer is concerned with more than just proving his or her status. This type of consumer is that of an elite group who can afford to spend thousands of dollars on an item that will not necessarily be recognized by the general public. Those within this elite circle, however, will most likely be able to identify the significance of a well designed item by this well loved fashion icon. With such a high demand for Ghesquiere’s work, there is little doubt that he will continue to be a success regardless of whether or not he decides to continue his affair with Balenciaga or to become an independent designer under his own label.