This was the profession of faith of the man whom Dior called ‘the master of us all’. Strict, even ascetic, Balenciaga was, with Chanel, Dior and Schiaparelli, one of the icons of the golden age of haute couture. The care he took with a garment’s construction, the perfection of his cut, his choice of materials, textures and colours, including an intense black, gave his vision of fashion and refinement a singular distinction, that became the fashion house’s famous signature.