Cristóbal Balenciaga

Cristóbal Balenciaga Eizaguirre was born in the Basque town of Getaria on 21 January 1895. He built a reputation on uncompromising standards, founding the Balenciaga brand and working with a precision that set him apart in an industry full of designers who merely sketched and delegated. His pupil Hubert de Givenchy and clients like Jacqueline Kennedy kept his pieces after his houses closed. He died on 24 March 1972. Since 2011 a purpose-built museum in Getaria has held some 1,200 examples of his work — the shapes and construction methods that made other couturiers defer.