Demna Gvasalia's "Russian Passport Boots" Cause Controversy

Vetements, a Zurich-based fashion house, has posted a photo of a pair of boots from their autumn-winter 2019 collection, which are printed with repeated images of the Russian passport cover. The boots were designed by the label’s founder, Georgian native Demna Gvasalia, who is also the creative director of Spanish fashion house Balenciaga.

The new boots caused controversy among fans and customers of the brand, some saying the boots were “amazing” and some, especially Georgian designers, criticizing Gvasalia for using the Russian passport print. Approximately 20% of Georgian territory is currently occupied by Russian military forces. A photo of the boots on Instagram received nearly 30,000 likes in the first 24 hours.

Gvasalia is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Antwerp. He launched his first collection at Tokyo Fashion Week in 2007, before working at Margiela, under the founder himself, and at Louis Vuitton.

Demna Gvasalia’s status in the fashion industry was cemented when it was announced in October 2015 that he would be taking over as Artistic Director of Balenciaga. Alongside his creative directorship at Balenciaga, Gvasalia retained his role as head designer and spokesperson for Vetements.

The brand quickly gained popularity with consumers and the fashion industry elite alike.

Gvasalia won two prestigious awards at the British Fashion Council (BFC) Awards 2016. He was also nominated in the International Award category for CFDA 2017.

Demna’s Brother, Guram Gvasalia is also a designer and was nominated for the 2016 Fashion Awards.

By Thea Morrison

Photo: @vetements_official Instragram