Each invitation to the Balenciaga FW24 show was unique: a random object found on eBay – “the platform used by Demna to search for antique collectables.” Some guests got vases, some got plastic dolphins. On the runway this would evolve into a Balenciaga X eBay collab, featuring pieces bearing the online marketplace’s logo.

The show itself was a fully immersive experience. Practically every surface that surrounded the crowd was a screen, and on those screens were AI-generated images and videos that moved and morphed. Made in collaboration with the American design studio COUR and the Berlin-based art studio Sub, natural landscapes melded and blended into each other on the screens.

Now for the clothes. After a distinctly Cristobal Balenciaga-esque collection last season, this season was all Demna. There were punky leopard prints, cascades of sequins, chains upon chains, and excellent layering. There was a dress made entirely out of knickers, bags worn as clothing, and jeans flung over shoulders to become tops. Beanies pulled over eyes were brilliantly named ‘Coolest beanie ever’ in the show notes, and we saw a return of the famed Balenciaga packing tape, once again acting as a gloriously DIY way of cinching a garment.