CRISTOBÁL BALENCIAGA
CRISTOBÁL BALENCIAGA is a Spanish biographical drama television miniseries created by Lourdes Iglesias, Aitor Arregi, Jon Garaño and Jose Mari Goenaga, and starring Alberto San Juan as Spanish fashion designer Cristóbal Balenciaga The series premiered on Disney+ on 19 January 2024. CRISTOBÁL BEALENCIAGA consists of 6 episodes.
STORY: In 1937, after a successful career with his ateliers in Madrid and San Sebastián dressing the Spanish elite and aristocracy, the designer Cristóbal Balenciaga (Alberto San Juan) made the international leap by presenting his first haute couture collection in Paris. However, the designs that set trends in Spain did not work in the sophisticated fashion empire that Paris had become, where Chanel, Dior and Givenchy were the benchmark for haute couture. Guided by his obsession for control in all aspects of his life, Balenciaga would define his style to become one of the greatest designers in history.
GAY COUPLE STORYLINE: Balenciaga (Alberto San Juan) was one of the most ingenious and influential figures in fashion, whom Chanel called “a couturier in the truest sense of the word. The others are simply fashion designers.” As a closeted gay man, he was particularly vulnerable during this time but as one of the business partners in his couture house reminds him, “things aren’t better in Spain”. In these troubled times, Balenciaga must decide what is worth fighting for, and if his artform has any place in such far-reaching misery. During his lifetime, Balenciaga had several love affairs with men, notably with his two main milliners, Ramon Esparza (Adam Quintero), and Wladzio Jawrorowski d’Attainville (Thomas Coumans), with whom he had his most intense relationship, professionally as well as privately.
Cristobál Balenciaga (Alberto San Juan) & Wladzio d’Attainville (Thomas Coumans) & Ramón Esparza (Adam Quintero)
ALBERTO SAN JUAN (2024)
November 1, 1968, Madrid, Spain
THOMAS COUMANS (2024) September 16, 1984, Belgium
ADAM QUINTERO (2024) January 1, 1989, Roehampton, London, UK
SPECIAL: To watch this series, and get wrapped up in the beauty, craft and dignity of Balenciaga’s life’s work feels luxurious in itself, as it’s created with a care that befits its legendary subject. He was a man who cared little for the spotlight or personal fame, so this non-salacious look at his pursuit of excellence rather than his inner turmoil is a seamless extension of his legacy.
AWARDS: ‘CRISTOBÁL BALENCIAGA” none
7.4 IMDB
