Balenciaga resurrects the Y2K era with a new ‘Le City’ bag campaign

In the days before the age of hyper-connectivity, when the internet was still a noisy luxury and the sound of the modem marked the start of every online session, Fashion TV was our direct window to the global catwalks. In 2001, without Instagram or TikTok, tuning in to that channel became the must-see passage to the latest in fashion. Behind the scenes, the chaos behind the scenes filtered through: supermodels, stylised mayhem and backstage at what, at the time, was perceived as the pinnacle of the industry.

Now, in 2024, Balenciaga has decided to look back, resurrecting the spirit of that Y2K era and channelling the essence of those Fashion TV days for its new campaign for the Le City bag. An accessory that debuted in 2001 and established itself as the cult item of the moment, hanging on the arms of the it girls of the time, from Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie in The Simple Life to Kate Moss and Lindsay Lohan. Today, Demna brings it back, but with the disruptive touch that characterises it: metallic rivets, graffiti, kitsch key rings, and a crossed version in the shape of a croissant.

This campaign, although it looks like an ode to luxury and Y2K aesthetics, has a twist of its own, one that bears Demna’s signature: the intervention of photographer Lauren Greenfield, a master at capturing youth culture and unbridled consumerism. Her raw, direct gaze distils the tension between the superficiality of fashion and the darker realities of contemporary society. In the images, models such as Paloma Elsesser and Devon Lee Carlson are captured in those moments before the shows, when the cameras have not yet been pointed at the catwalk: selfies, laughter and Le City as an extension of their modern, urban lifestyle.

Demna, as always, is not content with creating a simple fashion campaign. Behind the façade of luxury and Y2K nostalgia lies a sharp critique of consumer culture, the obsession with image and the place of fashion in this global machine. For what looks like a brilliant product campaign is, at heart, a commentary on the endless cycle of fashion, fame and money. Balenciaga is not just selling clothes: it is defining how we look, how we buy ourselves, and how we sometimes consume ourselves in the process.

Le City by Balenciaga is not just a bag; it’s a symbol of an era that has never quite gone away, now transformed for a generation that lives in the loop of nostalgia and consumption. And, as always, Demna knows exactly what threads to pull so that we’re not just talking about the bag, but everything it represents.