Balenciaga SA ( ) is a Spanish luxury fashion house founded in 1919 by the designer Cristóbal Balenciaga in San Sebastian, Spain and based in Paris, France. Balenciaga produces ready-to-wear, footwear, handbags, and accessories and licenses its name and branding to Coty for fragrances. The brand is currently owned by the French corporation Kering. History Founding to 1980 Cristóbal Balenciaga opened his first boutique in San Sebastián, Spain, in 1919, and expanded to include branches in Madrid and Barcelona. The Spanish royal family and the aristocracy wore his designs. When the Spanish Civil War forced him to close his stores, Balenciaga moved to Paris. 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. Balenciaga's success was nearly immediate. In the period of two years, the press lauded him as a revolutionary, and his designs were highly sought-after. Carmel Snow, the editor of Harper's Bazaar, was an early champion of his designs. Customers risked their safety to travel to Europe during World War II to see Balenciaga's clothing. During this period, he was noted for his "square coat", with sleeves cut in a single piece with the yoke, and for his designs with black (or black and brown) lace over bright pink fabric. Historians believe that Balenciaga's continued activity during the Nazi occupation of Paris was made possible by Balenciaga's connections with Spanish dictator General Francisco Franco who was Adolf Hitler's close ally. The relation to Franco was so close in fact, the Balenciaga designed clothing for the Franco family. The company was one of only 60 companies allowed to operate during the occupation, and the ongoing supply of raw materials from Spain, which were in short supply in Paris at the time due to the war, gave Balenciaga a competitive advantage. However, Balenciaga testified that he refused Hitler's request to transfer his company's activities to Berlin. During the post-war years, his lines became more linear and sleek, diverging from the hourglass shape popularized by "Christian Dior's New Look". The fluidity of his silhouettes enabled him to manipulate the relationship between his clothing and women's bodies. In 1951, he transformed the silhouette, broadening the shoulders and removing the waist. In 1955, he designed the tunic dress, which later developed into the chemise dress of 1958. Other contributions in the postwar era included the spherical