Balenciaga’s latest campaign in collaboration with Demna is a masterpiece in every aspect. The photos are a continuation of the artistic project of the pair of photographers. Stars in front of the lens. Luxurious interiors and prestigious arrangements. Yet something grates, causing unease. Something draws attention and mesmerizes in these photographs. Where is the secret of the Balenciaga campaign with Claudia Schiffer and Nicole Kidman?
Balenciaga with Claudia Schiffer and Nicole Kidman – a masterful combination of fashion photography, portraiture and deconstruction of luxury
Balenciaga’s campaign with Claudia Schiffer and Nicole Kidman for the Winter 2025 season is not just a striking collection of advertising images, but a complex artistic statement that combines fashion, conceptual photography and a subtle symbolic narrative. It also marks the closing of a chapter in the brand’s history. The last campaign created under Demna’s direction. Captured by the distinctive eye of Juergen Teller.
Teller’s lens: documentary truth instead of fashion illusion
The photographs by Teller are shot in the historic interiors of a hotel in Biarritz. They are characterized by the photographer’s typical approach. So they are raw, deliberately unretouched and intimate. The frames are often centrally positioned. With flat daylight and elements of unposed randomness. This photographic aesthetic creates a stark contrast to the lavish interiors: marble staircases, heavy curtains, dilapidated walls and living room splendor. This one bears the marks of the passage of time.
In this context, the Balenciaga campaign with Claudia Schiffer and Nicole Kidman appears as a dialogue between elegance and decay, structure and decay, beauty and anxiety. Teller disenchants fashion from its traditional glamour. Therefore, he presents it as part of reality. Full of tension, understatement and psychological depth.
Styling: contrasts of forms and deconstruction of luxury
In terms of fashion, the campaign presents a wide range of designs. From Balenciaga’s iconic haute couture silhouettes to sporty references and pieces from the Balenciaga | PUMA collection. Marie Chaix’s styling highlights Demna’s signature creation features. Scaled shoulders, sharp lines, deconstructive cuts and material contrasts dominate. Both evening coats with expressive volume and minimalist dresses are present in the campaign. These worn with expressive accessories.
photo: kendam.com
Accessories stand out: satin Shibuya stilettos, a leather Rodeo handbag with a distinct texture, and sporty shoes juxtaposed with elegant forms. The contrast underscores Balenciaga’s continued flirtation with the concept of “post-luxury.” The styles are not subject to the classic rules of harmony. Instead, they balance between experimentation and nonchalance. Controlled instability.
Balenciaga with Claudia Schiffer, Nicole Kidman and Isabelle Huppert. Intimate campaign featuring cinema and fashion icons
The participation of such a diverse and carefully selected cast – Claudia Schiffer, Nicole Kidman, Isabelle Huppert, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Arthur Chen, Liu Wen, Adut Akech and Roxane – is not just for media effect. Each of these characters brings their own story to the Balenciaga Winter 2025 campaign. A different aura and tension. Alongside the iconic fashion icons are the rising faces of a new generation.
Claudia Schiffer – placed in a historic interior – evokes the aesthetics of the 1990s. In which supermodels symbolized perfect form. In this campaign, that form is broken down and deconstructed. Nicole Kidman is captured sternly, almost introverted – devoid of glamour, yet mesmerizing. Isabelle Huppert – withdrawn and icy – becomes almost a sculptural object. Adut and Liu Wen, on the other hand, embody modern coolness and post-couture discipline.
Patrick Schwarzenegger and Arthur Chen bring a fresh, masculine presence. Suspended between fashion and cinema. Together they create a tableau of vivid characters. Simultaneously present and distant. Strong and fragile. Captured in the spirit of psychological minimalism.
Their portraits, shot by Juergen Teller, are a commentary on their public images, as well as a thoughtful play on the conventions of a celebrity fashion campaign. Their gazes conceal fatigue, reflection, perhaps even distance. As a result, the campaign is deep, intimate, self-reflective on many levels. Both the brand and the art. The photographer and the models.
Campaign video and Demna’s final manifesto
The campaign is also accompanied by a video by Teller, a continuation of his signature aesthetic. Observational, quiet, focused on details and understatements. The video does not tell a specific story. Rather, it documents a state of moational, identity, artistic transition. In this sense, Balenciaga, starring Claudia Schiffer and Nicole Kidman, becomes not so much an advertisement for a collection as an attempt to capture a moment of change in fashion culture.
It’s farewell to Demna as the creator redefining the boundaries of luxury at Balenciaga is quiet, devoid of fireworks. However, this makes it much more meaningful. The campaign balances between an end and a new beginning. It does not fit into the aesthetics of triumph. It is the result of a reflective, mature departure.
