GEORGE V
1937
In 1937, Cristóbal Balenciaga established his Paris ateliers at 10–12 Avenue George V. It was at this historic address that the couturier of couturiers worked, fitted clients, showed collections, and kept an apartment until he retired in 1968.
At that time, the interior design was by all accounts demure for a Couture House, its neutral tones and features typical of an apartment in the area, chosen so as not to distract from the collections.
2021
More than just an address, 10 Avenue George V has long stood as the enduring heart of Balenciaga: a defining landmark in the Maison’s narrative.
In 2020, the building — originally designed by A.L. Voisvenel in 1887 and decorated by Christos Bellos under Balenciaga’s direction — was restored to reflect its original interiors, as part of a long-term project to preserve the House’s heritage and legacy.
In 2021, artistic director Demna presented the first Balenciaga Couture ollection since M. Balenciaga’s last, in the newly reopened Salons de Couture at 10 Avenue George V.
For its reopening in 2021, the House’s original off-white stucco arabesques, creaky parquet floors, and warm grey carpets were recreated and patinated to affect the untouched passage of decades.
“I decided to replicate the original salons of that time in as much detail as possible,” said Demna, “and in addition to create an authentically aged, dusty effect of the interior, as if the apartments were reopened after over half a century of being abandoned. The notion of time does not exist in couture to me. It is timeless in its effort for an impossible perfection.”
2022
Since 2022, the address has been home to the Couture Store, an innovative experience for discovering one-of-a-kind exclusives.
Newly reopened spaces feature high-tech updates and modern touches such as a dark, smoked glass that partitions raw walls, establishing a destination where Balenciaga’s past, present, and future live in harmony.
2025
In 2025, this iconic address enters a new chapter with the opening of Balenciaga’s first dedicated Fragrance Store.
In 1947, Cristóbal Balenciaga introduced Le Dix, the House’s first fragrance, named in homage to its Parisian address. Seventy-eight years later, Balenciaga unveils a collection of ten fragrances that pays tribute to the House’s patrimony and to the transformative power of time.
With the return of fragrance, the space evolves into a multi-sensory expression of Balenciaga’s legacy.
