--- description: Find out why Balenciaga was selected for the list title: TIME100 Most Influential Companies 2022: Balenciaga image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc6c5c2784a0c1153/698a302616d8840dc3c3a76e/T100-Companies-L-Balenciaga.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Mar 30, 2022 # Balenciaga Shaking up a legacy by [Cady Lang](/author/cady-lang/) ## Cady Lang Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close  A model walks the runway during the Balenciaga Ready to Wear Spring/Summer 2022 fashion show as part of the Paris Fashion Week on October 2, 2021 in Paris, France. A model walks the runway during the Balenciaga Ready to Wear Spring/Summer 2022 fashion show as part of the Paris Fashion Week on October 2, 2021 in Paris, France.Victor Virgile—Gamma-Rapho/Getty Images Thanks to creative director Demna, luxury powerhouse Balenciaga is not only reflecting the cultural zeitgeist, it’s also driving it. The Georgian designer, who stopped using his last name, Gvasalia, professionally in 2021, showed the fashion house’s first couture collection in 50 years, and broke convention by producing virtual _Fortnite_ apparel and a real-life _Simpsons_ collection. Demna’s disruptive approach to design—[by turns tongue-in-cheek](https://time.com/5786030/balenciaga-dystopian-newscast/ "undefined") and abrasive—has shaken up the fashion industry, attracted influential devotees and collaborators like Kim Kardashian and Kanye West (who enlisted Demna to collaborate on his Donda shows and a Yeezy Gap x Balenciaga project), and resulted in revenue to the tune of nearly $2 billion. Demna’s recent show in Paris—which took place just days after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and featured models trudging through snow with large bags—demonstrated the former Georgian refugee’s ability to quickly synthesize and respond to world events through fashion. _A weekly newsletter featuring conversations with the world’s top CEOs, managers, and founders._ [_Join the Leadership Brief_](https://cloud.newsletters.time.com/signup?nln=leadership&source=100companies "undefined") Balenciaga Is one of the 2022 TIME100 Most Influential Companies ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/time100-companies-2022/6159435/balenciaga/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/time100-companies-2022/6159435/balenciaga/"},"headline":"Balenciaga","datePublished":"2022-03-30T10:21:36.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-03T00:01:14.060Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/time100-companies-2022/6159435/balenciaga/","keywords":["TIME100 Companies","T100Companies2022","sponsorshipblock"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc6c5c2784a0c1153/698a302616d8840dc3c3a76e/T100-Companies-L-Balenciaga.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Cady Lang","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/cady-lang/"}],"creator":"Cady Lang","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc6c5c2784a0c1153/698a302616d8840dc3c3a76e/T100-Companies-L-Balenciaga.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/time100-companies-2022/6159435/balenciaga/","name":"Balenciaga"}}]}] ```