Spanish designer Cristobal Balenciaga got his start in fashion at the young age of thirteen, when he charmed the Marquise of Casa Torres with a compliment on her elegance. The Marquise encouraged Cristobal to design a dress for her, and the rest is history. Cristobal Balenciaga traveled to Paris and encouraged his already burgeoning talent by exposing himself to the then popular design houses of the early 20th century; Doucet, Worth and Drecoll.

When Balenciaga returned to Spain in 1915 at age 16, he opened the first design house in San Sebastian under his own name. Balenciaga couture was born. Some of Balenciaga's most dedicated supporters were the best-dressed women in the world. The Duchess of Windsor, Princess Grace of Monaco, the Queen of Belgium, the Queen of Spain, all regularly wore Balenciaga's creations.

Nicolas Ghesquire, who began his career as a designer at Jean Paul Gaultier, replaced Josephus Thimister as creative director at Balenciaga after a disastrous show in 1997. Heralded as "the new Messiah" of fashion, Nicolas Ghesquire has revitalized the house of Balenciaga while maintaining Cristobal's haute couture standards and classic Balenciaga style. Ninety years later, Balenciaga is still famous for its founders principles of design-Ghesquire's ready to wear collections continue to sell out.