An exhibition dedicated to Cristóbal Balenciaga is opening in London

Once again, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London will be the background to a retrospective dedicated to an iconic figure of the fashion industry. On the occasion of the 100th-anniversary of the opening of the first Balenciaga store in San Sebastian, Spain, the London museum will host Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion, a tribute to the talented Spanish designer who died in 1972 at the age of 77.

The exhibition, which comes at a time of maximum splendour for the House, will host more than 100 looks and 20 hats, displayed alongside vintage photographs and original sketches, illustrating how Balenciaga's work has influenced the fashion industry as we know it in a radical way.

It is not the first time the Spanish designer is the protagonist of a monographic show: in March 2011, the de Young Museum in San Francisco hosted Balenciaga and Spain, while in June of the same year the Balenciaga Museum was inaugurated in Getaria, his hometown in the Basque country.

Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion will be on display at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London from May 27, 2017 until February 18, 2018.