After almost six months of silence, Nicolas Ghesquière has finally opened up about his departure from Balenciaga.

In an interview with new magazine, System, previewed today on Business of Fashion, he talked to Jonathan Wingfield about his departure from the fashion house that he was creative director of for 15 years.

‘It all became so dehumanised,’ he reveals. ‘Everything became an asset for the brand, trying to make it ever more corporate – it was all about branding. I don’t have anything against that; actually, the thing that I’m most proud of is that has become a big financial entity and will continue to exist. But I began to feel as though I was being sucked dry, like they wanted to steal my identity while trying to homogenise things. It just wasn’t fulfilling anymore.’

After taking the difficult decision to walk away from his post Ghesquière was pleased by the supportive response that he received from the fashion industry. ‘Generally the reaction had been very positive, even on Twitter there were some very satisfactory things being written. Ultimately, I felt okay in the end because it seemed very dignified. I haven’t expressed myself up until now, but I would like to say thank you to everyone, I really am very grateful.’

So what’s next for the designer? ‘Preparing for the next chapter and having the time to observe what’s going on in the industry,’ he says. ‘I’m regenerating again, and that’s very exciting because it’s a feeling I haven’t had since I was in my twenties.’

We can’t wait to see what his next move is...