Balenciaga Marks 25 Years of Le City with Damien Hirst Spots

By Daniel Okafor

WWD reports that Damien Hirst and Balenciaga are marking the 25th anniversary of the Le City handbag with a limited-edition collection nicknamed “Damienciaga.”

At the time of WWD’s report, Balenciaga was between creative directors (the design chiefs responsible for a house’s collections), after Pierpaolo Piccioli joined in July 2025 and exited last week. Croydon-born designer Martine Rose does not start in the role for another week.

Hirst has treated that gap as an invitation to have fun. The handover supplies context. It does not explain the butterflies.

What has Hirst changed?

WWD says Hirst has placed his signature spots on versions of Le City. The product range includes:

• a butterfly made from colorful spots;
• a mandala (a circular, symmetrical design) of wings;
• stickers depicting pills, hearts and other logos.

The spots also extend to T-shirts, scarves and wallets. Sticker-style motifs appear on sneakers, hoodies, caps and bomber jackets.

In an email interview with Vogue, Hirst said:

“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.”

His answer identifies recognition as the mechanism: the bag carries noughties associations and Kate Moss, while “Balenciaga” and “Hirst” operate as shared cultural references. Hirst is describing persistence built through association, not novelty.

The visible contribution is graphic: he adds recognisable marks to an object with its own public history. The collection reads like a sticker sheet spread across several product types. His artworks with the motif typically sell for millions of dollars at auction, according to WWD.

How did Le City become a lasting signature?

The original Le City handbag was designed by Nicolas Ghesquière when he was Balenciaga’s creative director, and he now heads Women’s Collections at Louis Vuitton. WWD calls Le City one of Balenciaga’s signature pieces and says Alexander Wang, Demna and Piccioli have each played with it. Hirst’s contribution is graphic: dots, butterflies and stickers sit on a form several creative directors have already reinterpreted.

Is this a one-off collaboration?

WWD notes that Hirst has lately turned toward clothing: in October, he collaborated with Barrie on a limited-edition line of cashmere pieces using his dots and butterflies. In an interview with Vanity Fair, he said fashion “is art that you can wear.” The two projects share a method: repeat a recognisable motif across wearable objects.

The overlap is specific. Barrie cashmere and Balenciaga accessories both use Hirst’s dots and butterflies. The motif remains stable while the product categories change. WWD’s report gives no prices, release dates or retail locations. The arithmetic remains unpublished.

With Martine Rose due to start next week, Le City will carry Hirst’s marks into its next chapter. Hirst says the bag has remained relevant for 25 years. The collaboration’s staying power will show whether his additions deepen that longevity or merely decorate it.