52 years after its founder closed the house, Balenciaga will reintroduce its Haute Couture collections, as envisioned by artistic director Demna Gvasalia. The brand’s haute couture tradition can be traced back to the coveted maison’s founder Cristóbal Balenciaga, an indelible name in fashion history.

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“Haute Couture is the very foundation of this House,” Demna Gvasalia said in a release. “So it is my creative and visionary duty to bring Couture back to Balenciaga. For me, Couture is an unexplored mode of creative freedom and a platform for innovation. It not only offers another spectrum of possibilities in dressmaking, it also brings the modern vision of Balenciaga back to its sources of origin. Couture is above trends. It’s an expression of beauty on the highest aesthetic and qualitative levels.”

Cedric Charbit, President and CEO of Balenciaga, added, “Establishing a dedicated team and atelier replicating the original salons at the historical address 10 Avenue George V represents a strategic step in further expansions. Coming back to the Haute Couture that was left off by Cristóbal Balenciaga in 1968 links the House’s past, present, and future.”