Cristóbal Balenciaga: The Early Years

Humble origins

Cristóbal Balenciaga was born in 1895 in Getaria, a small fishermen village of the Basque Coast, in the north of Spain. A community to which he always felt very attached, and to which he would return regularly throughout his whole life.

View of the Aldamar Palace, a spectacular 19th-century villa, annexed to the current museum, and the summer residence of the Marquesses of Casa Torres. It was here that the young Balenciaga embarked on his journey into the fascinating world of fashion and dressmaking.

A key figure in his life

His mother, Martina Eizaguirre, was a seamstress for the Marquesses of Casa Torres; a key figure throughout his life, it was she who taught him to sew.

The Marchioness, a highly elegant and socially prominent woman, was one of Balenciaga's earliest supporters.

"Cristobal Balenciaga", his first brand

In 1917, the name 'Cristóbal Balenciaga', at the address 2 Calle Vergara, was entered in the industrial register under the title of "modistas" (dressmaker), with the highest category tax contribution.

Balenciaga's first workshop in San Sebastián was located on the first floor of this very building, at the corner of Vergara and Avenida de la Libertad.

Advertisement in the journal 'La Voz de Gipuzkoa' in March 1917, seeking staff for his first atelier.

A business in transformation

In 1924, Balenciaga moved to 2 Avenida de la Libertad and listed his business under the name of "Cristóbal Balenciaga". In March 1927, he followed a strategy of diversification and created a second brand "Martina Robes et manteaux". Named after his mother Martina Eizaguirre, the business was located on 10 Calle Oquendo, 1st floor. In October that same year, he changed this name to "EISA Costura" after his mother's surname, "Eizaguirre".

1927: Coat, San Sebastian

In this coat, made in San Sebastian, Balenciaga evoked the lines that define the Japanese kimono, one of the most influential garments in European fashion of the twenties.

In perfect tune with the aesthetics of those years, the wide turndown collar and the sleeve cuffs were adorned with ermine fur.

1930: Jacket, San Sebastian

This piece, made in the workshops of San Sebastian, displays a complex pattern. The back and the sleeves are cut in one piece, reproducing the typical sleeve of Chinese clothing, which finishes at the cuff in the shape of a horse’s hoof. In his later creations, Balenciaga would prefer the French three-quarter-length sleeve which showed the wrists.


This nod to Oriental historical fashion contrasts with the ribbons that wrapped around the waist and ended in a bow – very much in fashion in the thirties – and attempts to narrow the waist to the maximum, creating a very feminine silhouette.

Expanding the Business

Of the two businesses that coexist in San Sebastián, 'Cristóbal Balenciaga' has had a constant presence since 1937, the year in which Cristóbal moved to Paris and opened 'Balenciaga'. 'Eisa Costura' diversified geographically to Madrid (1933) and Barcelona (1935) using the name 'eisa be', with its branch in San Sebastián, at 2 Avenida de la Libertad, serving as its headquarters.

Circa 1935: Evening Coat, San Sebastian

Fascinated by English tailoring, Balenciaga was also deeply influenced by the great couturiers of Paris. He attended to the tastes of his clients. He in particular admired the work of Gabrielle Chanel, Madame Vionnet and Louise Boulanger.

This coat is one of the few remaining garments with the EISA B.E. label, used by Cristóbal Balenciaga in his houses in San Sebastian, Madrid and Barcelona between 1933 and 1936. The coat shows the influence that Madame Vionnet had in the master’s training, both in the patterns and in the outer finish.

1936: Dress, San Sebastian

Cristóbal Balenciaga gave this dress as a present to his cousin Vicenta Eizaguirre for her wedding day. Structurally, it is a typical dress of the thirties, where a precise cut recovers the features of femininity, forgotten in the twenties. However, the singularity of this dress comes from the blue colour chosen by Balenciaga: a totally novel colour, taking into account that white and black were the sole colours used in wedding gowns. The dress is completed with a mantilla, an essential element in more traditional wedding dresses.

The mid-calf-length dress is cut at the waistline. The jewel-neck bodice fastens down the left front with self-fabric buttons. The back, cut in one piece, prolongs the shoulder line to form a bow at the front. The sleeves are reinforced with shoulder pads, are long and narrow at the cuff. The skirt has no side seams. It hugs the body with darts at the sides and gathering at the front, in horizontal lines that become a decorative motif.

1938: Dress, San Sebastian

The structure of the dress coincides with the models of the thirties. The tendency to leave the back of the dresses loose is obvious in this model, which, masterfully assembled, announces the semi-fitted line later designed by Balenciaga.

The knee-length V-neck dress is cut at waistline, and fastens at the front with buttons and press-studs. The panels that make up the front are bias cut and extend on either side to form the sleeves. The back has a central piece and side pieces that also extend to the sleeves. Gathered at the shoulder, the sleeves open at the end like a frill. The back, blouse-like on the outside, is adjusted on the inside with a loose lining and two straps. The full skirt is gathered at the centre of the front and at the back. The skirt is hemmed in beige silk crepe.

The Spanish influence

Balenciaga was a couturier with more than 20 years of experience when he arrived in Paris. His technical perfection to creativity formed aesthetic influences and created the brand's unique client experiences, all of them key aspects to understand its upward trajectory and consecration that could only take place in the fashion capital of the world.

In his Paris collections, Balenciaga presented an aesthetic clearly influenced by Spanish popular dress and art.

1945: Dress, San Sebastian

Made in Spain, it coincides with the models used at the time, in which the shoulders were very prominent, in accordance with the military ambience of those years. The decoration evokes traditional Spanish clothing related to the world of the majos. Just like the jackets of the majos, the decoration is concentrated on the neck, lapels and shoulders. The velvet polka dots recall tassels on a macramé mesh that covered the bodies of the majas.

This mid-calf-length dress is cut below the waist. The bodice is loose, with a turndown collar and lapels. Fastens at the front with self-fabric buttons. The skirt, gathered at the waist, is made of four panels. The entire bodice is adorned with smooth velvet polka-dot appliqués, more concentrated at the neck, lapels and shoulders. The dress hugs the waist with a black silk taffeta belt.

1946: 'Bolero', San Sebastian

Balenciaga was familiar with Spanish fashion from other eras. His inspiration often came from historical clothing, which reinterpreted and adapted to his own designs. This short jacket, also known as a bolero or shrug, is particularly associated with the eighteenth-century aesthetic of the majos. Its style and decoration blend with the marked and rounded shoulders of the 1940s. It is a magnificent accessory for evening dresses.