The Balenciaga Chicago storefront at 15 East Oak St.
One of the world’s most highly vaunted fashion brands has taken up residence in the Windy City.
With stark interiors, industrial lighting and a raw, gritty aesthetic, Balenciaga’s first stand-alone Chicago storefrontis already leaving its mark on the city’s most prestigious shopping district: Oak Street.
Roh Yoon Seo wears Balenciaga’s Le Bag, now available in-store
Open May 21, the two-level boutique encompasses nearly 7,000 square feet of retail space, and—in true Balenciaga fashion—the decor leaves no holds barred.
Interior details at Balenciaga’s first stand-alone Chicago storefront
Reminiscent of an abandoned warehouse, a subway platform and a parking garage rolled into one, Balenciaga’s coined “Raw Architecture” concept is designed to break the norm and strip things down to the studs with intentionally untreated elements.
Brushed concrete floors, cement board panels, suspended ceiling mesh, metal shelving and floating pipe racks break from the luxury sector’s ritual glitz and glam.
Kim Kardashian models Balenciaga’s now-available Le Bag
Better yet, style maestros can get their fix of the brand’s latest and greatest, including men’s and women’s ready-to-wear, shoes, bags, accessories, eyewear and jewelry.
Nicole Kidman wears Balenciaga’s Rodeo Bag, available in-store
With a newly debuted 8-bit video game and playlist from French composer and musician BFRND and a mega-curated fall collection in the books—touting uber-extended shoulder epaulets, lingerie outerwear hybrids and repurposed spliced-up layers—the mainstay remains on the cutting edge, vowing to deliver its signature status quo disruption, avant-garde sensibility and ultra-modern evocation to fashion-forward Chicagoans.