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Balenciaga is currently between creative directors after Pierpaolo Piccioli, who joined in July 2025, exited the company last week, and Croydon-born designer Martine Rose doesn’t start in the role for another week. But that hasn’t stopped artist Damien Hirst from having fun with a limited-edition collection nicknamed Damienciaga.
The collaboration kicks off Balenciaga’s 25th anniversary of its Le City handbag, which was designed by then-creative director Nicolas Ghesquière, now at the head of Women’s Collections at Louis Vuitton. Le City has become one of the brand’s signature pieces that all creative directors, from Alexander Wang and Demna to Piccioli, have played with. Hirst has added his own spin with his signature spots; artworks with the motif typically sell for millions of dollars at auction. Some of the other bags feature a butterfly made out of colorful spots; a mandala of wings; stickers of pills, hearts and other logos. The spots have also extended to T-shirts, scarves, wallets, while the sticker-style motifs appear on sneakers, hoodies, caps and bomber jackets.
In an e-mail interview with Vogue, Hirst says that the Le City bag is a piece of fashion that “everyone knows it, don’t they? It’s one of the most iconic bags of the last 25 years. You associate it with the noughties, with Kate Moss, yet it’s still remained so relevant. It’s not just a ‘Balenciaga’ or a ‘Hirst’… they’re adding their personality to it. And I think that’s what fashion is all about.”
As of late, Hirst has been tapping into his sartorial side. In October, the artist collaborated with Barrie on a limited-edition line of cashmere pieces using his dots and butterflies. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Hirst says that fashion “is art that you can wear.”