The Le City Turns 25: Balenciaga Takes Its Icon Around The World With Damien Hirst
PHOTO COURTESY OF BALENCIAGA
Balenciaga marked a quarter century of its Le City bag on 10 November 2026. The milestone also launches a wide-ranging programme built around the style and the community behind it. At its heart sits a campaign told in two chapters, each a salute to the people who have made the bag famous.
PHOTO COURTESY OF BALENCIAGA
Chapter I rests on a simple idea: celebrate the icon with icons. Rather than staging the bag in a studio, the Spanish fashion house hands it to a handful of well-known figures. Each carry it through cities that mean something to them. These are no ordinary Le City bags, however. They are limited editions created with celebrated artist Damien Hirst, whose colourful dots splash across the iconic leather.
In the French capital, the campaign pairs Balenciaga ambassador Isabelle Huppert with footballer Hugo Ekitike. The Balenciaga | Damien Hirst Le City bags appear alongside Parisian landmarks, such as the Eiffel Tower, a riverside bridge and a fence thick with padlocks. Huppert says she values how the bag improves as it picks up the marks of daily use. She sees the same quality in Paris itself. Ekitike, meanwhile, praises Balenciaga for connecting fashion, music and sport in ways that feel current for his generation.
The Los Angeles chapter then features Nicole Richie, an early devotee of the bag, and Rachel Sennott, a friend of the house. A Hollywood sidewalk star and a vintage-style van set the scene, as white and red Le City bags stand out against sun-bleached streets. Richie quips that her bags have accompanied her through every phase of life. Like her, they have only improved over time. Sennott calls it her favourite bag, one she takes everywhere. Its ability to shift from party girl to professional, she says, mirrors her own adaptability and versatility.
Over in Shanghai, Cecilia Boey carries the bag along The Bund, against the city’s famous skyline and waterfront. The actor and singer describes Le City as one of Balenciaga’s defining symbols. Marking its 25th birthday in such a historic, lively city, she adds, feels especially meaningful.
Chapter I highlights the bag’s history as a coveted, timeless piece passed through a global circle of icons. In doing so, it connects different generations and cultures with a sense of joy. Selected pieces from the Balenciaga | Damien Hirst Le City anniversary collection is now available in Singapore. Both boutiques and Balenciaga’s online store carry the range.
