Demna Gvasalia’s SS17 collection for Balenciaga was about one thing: spandex. “An exploration of the intimate relationship between couture and fetishism runs beneath the surface of the Balenciaga Spring Summer 17 show,” read the show notes. “This collection takes a theoretical leap, harnessing the possibilities of spandex.” 

With this fetishistic theme in mind, there was only really one choice of photographer for the collection’s accompanying campaign: Harley Weir, the fashion photography ingenue known for her fresh take on sexuality. Weir shoots three of the house’s muses – Alek Wek, Shujing Zhou and Eliza Douglas (all of whom walked in the show) – up against a Lynchian red curtain.

It’s not the first time Gvasalia has worked with Weir – he and his collaborators at Vetements actually enlisted her to walk in the brand’s AW15 show. Balenciaga stylist and Dazed contributing fashion editor Lotta Volkova has also collaborated with the photographer, most recently on a story for the AW16 issue of AnOther.

The debut of this campaign comes a week before the Paris men’s shows, where Gvasalia will present his second menswear collection for Balenciaga. With one critically-acclaimed collection under his belt and inspired London designer Martine Rose on board as consultant, it will be interesting to see where the designer takes us for AW17.