Balenciaga SS22 'Deepfake' Catwalk

If you were wondering what the future of fashion week might look like in a post-pandemic world, Demna Gvasalia's 'deepfake' Spring 2022 Balenciaga show may have just provided us with some answers.

In what appeared to be a very deep and layered commentary on the world of social media and its impact on society, the presentation encouraged us to consider 'our shifting senses of reality through the lens of technology' and saw some seriously impressive editing skills create a runway that, in fact, did not happen. Not IRL, anyway.

And in an ironically meta way which almost epitomises Demna's point entirely, the creative display ended up being shared and reposted to such an extent that it went viral on the very platforms it set out to scrutinise.

Of course, during a time in which international travel is difficult - at best - and illegal in certain instances, staging a fashion show virtually is a hugely practical solutio

But it wasn't only the visual that was a high-tech consideration, with models (if we can call them that?) storming down the runway to a sci-fi-inspired soundtrack composed by BFRND and an AI voiceover reciting the lyrics of La Vie En Rose.