He was born in 1895 in Spain and died in 1972. He founded the renowned Balenciaga fashion house and was renowned as a couturier with uncompromising standards, being referred to as "the master of us all" by Christian Dior and "the only couturier in the truest sense of the word" by Coco Chanel. A museum in his birthplace of Getaria exhibits over 1,200 pieces from his work supplied by pupils and clients to showcase his lasting influence on high fashion.

2. He was born in 1895 and he died in 1972. He was a
Spanish Basque fashion designer and the founder of
the Balenciaga fashion house. He had a reputation as a couturier
of uncompromising standards and was referred to as "the master
of us all" by Christian Dior and as "the only couturier in the
truest sense of the word" by Coco Chanel, who continued "The
others are simply fashion designers". He continues to be revered
as the supreme deity of the European salons. On the day of his
death, in 1972, Women's Wear Daily ran the headline "The king
is dead" (no one in the fashion world had any doubt as to whom
it referred).
Since 2011 the purpose built Museo Balenciaga exhibits examples
of his work in his birth town Getaria. Many of the 1200 pieces in
the collection were supplied by his pupil Hubert de
Givenchy and clients such as Grace Kelly.