Cristóbal Balenciaga

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15 through October 15, The Cardinal will feature prominent and historical Hispanic Americans, living or dead, who have worked toward change, advancement, and/or world peace. Some of them are heroes, and some are unsung heroes who deserve recognition, and have made a contribution to society.

Christian Rivera Downey, Staff Writer

October 3, 2025

Cristóbal Balenciaga (1895–1972) was a Spanish fashion designer whose work changed the way we think about clothes.

Born in Getaria, Spain, he started sewing as a kid and quickly became known for his insane precision and unique vision. By his early twenties, he had opened his first boutique and it didn’t take long for his sharp and unique architectural designs to grab attention. Balenciaga made stylish, unique clothes for women, focusing on elegance and comfort, while changing how people saw women’s fashion with bold, creative designs. He pushed traditional gender norms while making women’s dresses by freeing women from corsets while giving them these bold, modern silhouettes that felt ahead of their time. He didn’t just make clothes, he sculpted them.

Today, Balenciaga isn’t just history. The brand he founded is huge, mixing luxury and streetwear in a way that keeps it relevant. Sneakers, hoodies, and oversized coats from Balenciaga show up everywhere. It’s in fashion blogs to Instagram feeds to lyrics in rap songs. Artists like A$AP Rocky and Cardi B reference Balenciaga in their tracks, proving the brand has become part of pop culture.

Balenciaga’s influence is everywhere in fashion now. Streetwear, with its mix of high-end labels and everyday style owes a lot to designers like him who broke traditional rules. His clean lines, bold volumes, and cultural experimentation set the stage for designers who merge tailoring with casual, wearable pieces. Modern luxury houses cite him as a reference point, blending his classic elegance with edgy youth-driven fashion trends.

In the end, Cristóbal Balenciaga wasn’t just a designer; he was a master of shaping how we experience style. His brand’s ongoing relevance and culture proves that great design always evolves.

“Fashion is a science; it’s precision. And in precision, there is beauty.” – Cristóbal Balenciaga

About the Contributor

Christian Rivera Downey, Staff Writer

Christian Rivera Downey is a senior at Hoover High School. Born on November 5th and raised in San Diego, he’s Mexican and Irish but grew up surrounded by his Mexican family. He is someone true to his beliefs and values, even if it means facing a crowd of pitchforks. In groups, he’s funny and carefree, but individually, he’s thoughtful, wise and always looking to make others feel seen. Photography became a serious pursuit after summer trips to Japan and Poland in 2025, inspiring him to invest in a Ricoh GR IIIx HDF and capture the world. Although not fully invested in astrology, he admits that the Scorpio sign trait matches almost perfectly with the traits of his personality. Christian loves music, especially his favorite band, Death Grips, whom he’s seen live twice and hopes to one day honor with a tattoo. When it comes to his favorite food Christian swears by anything brothy and heart-healing, whether it’s pozole, pho or ramen. A movie that really touched Christian is Paris, Texas, which he’s only seen once and doesn’t think he could watch again because of how deeply it moved him. His all-time favorite though is House Of A 1000 Corpses. He even named his mounted deer that’s above his bed “Otis” after one of the characters in the movie. If reincarnation was confirmed to be what happens in the afterlife, Christian hopes to come back as a weeping willow tree. Christian plans to major in accounting and become a forensic accountant, a field that perfectly combines his interests in law, criminal justice, business and English. Christian believes his contribution to changing the world starts small and simple, making people laugh, making them feel cared for, and reminding them they matter. “Maybe a smile or a laugh can save a life.”