Cristóbal Balenciaga opened his first boutique in San Sebastián, Spain, in 1919, and expanded to include branches in Madrid and Barcelona.

[4][5] Balenciaga opened his Paris couture house on Avenue George V in August 1937, where his first fashion show featured designs heavily influenced by the Spanish Renaissance.

[6] Historians believe that Balenciaga's continued activity during the Nazi occupation of Paris was made possible by his connections with Spanish dictator General Francisco Franco who was Adolf Hitler's close ally.

[4] His often spare, sculptural creations—including funnel-shape gowns of stiff duchess satin worn to acclaim by clients such as Pauline de Rothschild, Bunny Mellon, Marella Agnelli, Hope Portocarrero, Gloria Guinness, and Mona von Bismarck—were considered masterworks of haute couture in the 1950s and 1960s.

In 1960, he designed the wedding dress for Queen Fabiola of Belgium made of ivory duchess satin trimmed with white mink at the collar and the hips.

Balenciaga defiantly resisted the rules, guidelines, and bourgeoisie status of the Chambre syndicale de la haute couture parisienne, and, thus, was never a member.

[13] Ghesquière's F/W 2005 line showed that the house was not only making money, but also attracted a number of celebrity customers including editor-in-chief at Vogue, Anna Wintour.

[14] Kylie Minogue also wore a Balenciaga dress for her "Slow" and "Red Blooded Woman" music videos and for her concert tour.

[15] Balenciaga's Fall/Winter 2007 show impressed Teen Vogue editor-in-chief Amy Astley so much that an entire spread in the magazine, titled "Global Studies" and shot in Beijing, was influenced by it.

The line included skinny jodhpurs, tight, fitted blazers, beaded embellished scarves, and other multicultural mixes.

Vintage Balenciaga garments are popular among fashion editors, Hollywood stars, and models, and have been seen on Sienna Miller,[16] Lara Bingle, Raquel Zimmerman,[17] Caroline Trentini, Emmanuelle Alt,[18] Tatiana Sorokko,[19] Hilary Rhoda, Jennifer Garner, and Stephanie Seymour, among others.

[21] The $2,500-a-ticket fund-raiser for the museum drew 350 guests, including Denise Hale, Marissa Mayer, Vanessa Getty, Victoria Traina, Vanessa Traina, Jamie Tisch, Gwyneth Paltrow, Orlando Bloom, Balthazar Getty, Maggie Rizer, Connie Nielsen, Maria Bello, and Mia Wasikowska.

[30] Formerly the executive vice president of product and marketing at Saint Laurent, Charbit steered Balenciaga in a commercial direction.

[34] In September 2021, the brand faced backlash when it released trompe-l'œil sweatpants with the illusion of plaid boxers sticking out the top with a price tag of $1,190.

[38] In December 2023, Balenciaga was awarded by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) with the prize for best luxury product for its entirely vegan coat made from Lunaform, a plant-based leather.

[54] In November 2022, an advertising campaign posted on Balenciaga's Instagram account featured children holding teddy bears, which were dressed in bondage and BDSM gear.

[58][55] Balenciaga announced that it was taking legal action in pursuit of $25 million against the production company North Six and set designer Nicholas Des Jardins, claiming that they were responsible for the advertisement with the child pornography court document.

[61] In another image, featuring the actress Isabelle Huppert, two art books can be seen in the background: one is based on The Cremaster Cycle (1994–2002) by the filmmaker Matthew Barney, and one is As Sweet as It Gets (2014) by the Belgian painter Michaël Borremans.

Some Twitter users tried to connect imagery from Barney's and Borremans' works to the court document, and based on this suggested there was a hidden message about child abuse in Balenciaga's marketing material.