In terms of couturiers, Balenciaga was a true artist in his time.
What happened is that decades after his death Penault resurrected the label
as he had with other defunct fashion houses to peddle basic ready to wear
at astronomical prices. They literally sell mass produced hoodies for $600.
Their biggest cost is in the marketing, like purchasing expensive advertisements
in the pages of glossy magazines and getting pop culture celebrities to endorse
or "design" some of their clothes.
I'll never forget the time I was paying for gas at some convenience store
and the guy ahead of me had a full sleeve tattoo of the LV Louis Vuitton logo.
This fellow looked like he stumbled out of a trailer park yet believed that by branding himself
with a luxury logo it would somehow elevate his status. Very bizarre.