From skateboarding to high fashion:
Georgian youth from acclaimed documentary walk for Balenciaga

The audience of this week's Paris menswear show by famous fashion house Balenciaga could be forgiven for mistaking two young Georgian skaters for professional models walking down the runway.

Dozens of professional models walked the catwalk to promote Balenciaga's Spring/Summer 2017 collection, but joining the models was Sandro Popkhadze and Nikoloz Chavchavadze. The two Georgian teenagers, who have no modelling experience and were chosen not for their fashion talent but because of their success in film.

The duo started gaining an international reputation thanks to their appearance in last year's award-winning German-Georgian documentary When the Earth Seems to Be Light.

Sandro Popkhadze photographed walking down the runway at the Balenciaga Spring/Summer 2017 show in Paris. Photo from Tamuna Melikishvili/Facebook.

The two protagonists of the film also caught the eye of Balenciaga staff, the documentary’s producer told Agenda.ge.

In the film Popkhadze and Chavchavadze spoke about their struggle for freedom and self-fulfilment in the everyday reality of a post-Soviet state.

Nikoloz Chavchavadze also appeared at the Paris menswear display. Photo from Tamuna Melikishvili/Facebook.

The award-winning documentary by directors Salome Machaidze, Tamuna Karumidze and David Meskhi followed the two teenagers and their friends.

The film made its international debut in November last year and was awarded the Best First Appearance prize at the 2015 International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam.

See the trailer for the 2015 Georgian-German documentary film 'When the Earth Seems to Be Light' below:

The film also screened at the Tbilisi International Film Festival in December 2015.

Meanwhile the Balenciaga fashion show on June 22 continued a series of new displays since the fashion house appointed Georgian designer Demna Gvasalia as creative director last year.

See the Balenciaga Spring/Summer 2017 menswear show below: