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Extraordinary Women
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Group T
Date 1950
Origin Getaria
Brand Cristóbal Balenciaga
Source (DFG) Diputación Foral de Gipuzkoa
License Copyleft

Textile- Haute couture

Women played a fundamental role in Cristóbal Balenciaga’s workshop, which originated in Getaria. They formed the bulk of the work team in Balenciaga’s workshop, where they were responsible for bringing the couturier’s designs to life and conducting the sewing and tailoring tasks. The seamstresses possessed an important level of skill and technical knowledge necessary to execute Balenciaga’s complex designs.

The role of these women was essential in the creation of Balenciaga’s fashion, although for a long time, their work remained in the background, behind the glamour of the catwalks and the designer’s name. However, their work was crucial to achieving perfection in the cut and appreciation of the qualities of the fabrics that characterized the designer’s creations. The workshop was the nerve center of the company, where women worked in an atmosphere of hard work and craftsmanship.

The textile industry was critical in Gipuzkoa. For example, La Algodonera de Andoain, also known as La Algodonera Guipuzcoana, played a clear role in the industrialization of Gipuzkoa and the incorporation of women into industrial work. Founded in 1858, it was one of the four large textile companies in Gipuzkoa. It began its journey in 1857, after the First World War, and was part of the protectionist drive that fostered industrial modernization in the region. It closed its doors in 1913 but reopened 4 years later as Compañía Fabril Subijana and went through different owners before its final closure in 1965.

In its beginnings, it had five hundred workers, of which more than three hundred were women, and it was a pioneering place in the incorporation of women into industrial work. It represented a meaningful change in women’s work, allowing women to earn a salary without altogether abandoning domestic tasks (for example, night shifts were the responsibility of men). The factory had a nursery, an aspect fondly remembered by many female workers. However, women systematically earned less than men; between 1903 and 1965, women earned wages between 14% and 33% less than their male colleagues.

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