Balenciaga

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Balenciaga Shoes by Nicolas Ghesquiere

Cristóbal Balenciaga Eizaguirre was a Spanish fashion designer and the founder of the Balenciaga fashion house.
Balenciaga was born in Guetaria, a fishing Basque town in Guipúzcoa, on January 21, 1895. His mother was a seamstress, and as a child Balenciaga often spent time with her as she worked. At the age of twelve, he began work as the apprentice of a tailor. When Balenciaga was a teenager, the Marchioness de Casa Torres, the foremost noblewoman in his town, became his customer and patron. She sent him to Madrid, where he was formally trained in tailoring.


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