[3] During the War in Abkhazia, and the accompanying ethnic cleansing of Georgians, 10-year-old Demna and his family had to flee Sukhumi following an attack by Russian-backed separatist forces, who destroyed his home in a bombing.

His experience navigating a "hardcore" bureaucracy heightened his interest in “sociological uniforms,” which include jackets, caps, armbands, boots, badges, and patches used by individuals to indicate authority within a group.

[3] Demna studied international economics for four years at Tbilisi State University[6] and later attended the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, where he graduated with a Master's degree in Fashion Design in 2006.

[17][18] At the 2021 Met Gala at New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art, Demna walked the stairs with reality television star Kim Kardashian, both in his head-to-toe body feature obscuring Black Balenciaga designs completely masked, with Vogue offering that events rules had been rewritten.

[19] In November 2022, Balenciaga dropped its holiday ad campaign, featuring children holding teddy bears in leather harnesses and punk costumes, as well a photo that included an excerpt of a document from a court ruling relating to child pornography.

The backlash against the images has been swift, with the hashtag #cancelBalenciaga trending across Twitter and TikTok and many accusing the brand and Demna of condoning pedophilia and child exploitation.

[22] Demna has used his creative work to raise awareness of war crimes committed against Georgians, dedicating one of his Vetements' collections to this theme and featuring a downloadable application linking users to information on Georgia's struggles.