A free exhibition celebrates Balenciaga’s iconic city bag in Paris From November 10 to 19

Maison Balenciaga is celebrating the quarter-century anniversary of its cult accessory, "Le City" bag. To mark the occasion, the brand is rolling out an immersive program of experiences and events worldwide, kicking off with a first stop in Paris that is free and open to the public.

The Parisian experience at the heart of "Le City House"

To open these celebrations, Balenciaga is opening the doors to "Le City House," an immersive space located at the Maison's historic address, 10 Avenue George V in Paris. The exhibition offers an interactive journey through the bag's history and its major impact on pop culture. It opens with an archival series and a video space tracing the evolution of the original models from 2001 to the present day, showcased through period fashion editorials, press clippings, and paparazzi photos. Visitors can then discover a giant "what's in my bag" installation, revealing handwritten notes alongside Y2K objects and tech saved over the years inside Le City bags belonging to iconic brand devotees.

The event also features a salon available by appointment, offering personalized care dedicated to the bag - ranging from leather treatments and handle lace replacements to custom mirror engraving and hand-painted monograms. Finally, an interactive quiz inspired by 2000s lifestyle magazines allows everyone to find the model best suited to their personality. Following this inaugural Parisian edition, the "Le City House" concept will pop up in Balenciaga flagship stores across New York, Tokyo, Shanghai, and Beijing.

The birth of an "anti-It Bag" turned fashion icon

Created in 2001 by Nicolas Ghesquière, then artistic director of the Maison, Le City was designed against the dominant trends of the era, which focused on heavy logomania and rigid accessories. It stood out thanks to its supple lambskin structure, long leather tassels on the zipper pulls, intricate topstitching, and a complete absence of visible logos.

The fate of this original prototype was sealed in the ateliers when it caught the eye of supermodel Kate Moss. Her immediate enthusiasm sparked the bag's commercial production. Quickly adopted in the early 2000s by it-girls such as Gisele Bündchen, Paris and Nicky Hilton, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Sarah Jessica Parker, Nicole Richie, and Carine Roitfeld, the bag became a cultural phenomenon long before an official ad campaign ever launched.

Over the decades, the design codes of Le City have been continuously reinvented by the Maison. In 2020 and 2022, artistic director Demna revisited its lines with the "Neo City" and the maximalist "Le Cagole" model. The line gradually expanded to include footwear, accessories, and ready-to-wear. In 2024, the original bag was officially relaunched in a campaign starring Kate Moss. In 2025, Pierpaolo Piccioli presented a reimagined variation for his debut runway show with the brand. The 2026 celebrations thus crown a quarter-century of history, bridging the past, present, and future of this iconic creation.

An exclusive artistic collaboration with Damien Hirst

To celebrate this 25th anniversary, Balenciaga teamed up with British artist Damien Hirst. Offered in limited edition, the collection incorporates original motifs inspired by the artist's body of work - including multicolored spots forming butterfly silhouettes, mandalas, embroidered patches, and "Spin Paintings" wrapped across the bag's contours. Available across several bag sizes as well as small leather goods, each piece in the series features the handwritten contraction "Damienciaga."

To cap off this milestone anniversary, the campaign features public figures who are long-time fans of the model. Among them are actress Isabelle Huppert, Nicole Richie, soccer player Hugo Ekitiké, actress Rachel Sennott, and singer Cecilia Boey.

By combining a free exhibition in the heart of Paris, an exclusive artistic collaboration with Damien Hirst, and bespoke services for collectors, Balenciaga turns a simple anniversary into a major cultural event. From November 10 to 19, 10 Avenue George V stands out as the essential destination to rediscover the story of an "anti-It bag" that became an absolute benchmark of modern luxury.