100 years Balenciaga : Reconstructing a Pioneering University Exhibition (Madrid, 1995)

In 1995, the centenary of the birth of Cristóbal Balenciaga, the Centro Superior de Diseño de Moda de Madrid, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (CSDMM-UPM), became the first educational institute in the world to organize an exhibition dedicated to the designer. Taking advantage of having Carmen and Emilia Carriches, dressmakers from the house of Balenciaga, as faculty members, the CSDMM-UPM exhibition presented a selection of the designer’s garments, along with exclusive fabrics, patterns and prototypes obtained from disassembled toiles used in Balenciaga’s workshop, and other elements linked to his legacy. Thirty years later, archival research has made it possible to reconstruct the event from photographs, documents, press clippings and other objects, documenting the pieces on display and their lenders. In addition to recovering the memory of the exhibition, this study highlights the fundamental role of the Carriches sisters in the teaching of fashion and in the preservation of Balenciaga’s technical knowledge. It also stands as a tribute to them, and to all who quietly sustain the world of fashion. The article analyses the exhibition from a historical perspective, exploring its context, development and the value of its documentary record as a source for future research on the dissemination of Balenciaga’s legacy.