December 11, 2021 |
Dim the lights and get the candles out, because Olivier Rousteing is celebrating his first decade at Balmain. Hip, hip, hooray!
As part of his ongoing celebrations – which has included a Channel 4 TV show, a jet-setting fashion show and a 6,000-person music festival – Rousteing has released his latest pre-fall offering. The collection ties together everything that has inspired Rousteing over his decade-long journey, covered in classic Balmain motifs from houndstooth and Breton stripes to embroidery and embellishment – honouring the house’s traditional couture-leaning designs.
Rousteing took inspiration from his mentor and friend Ed Filipowski, the co-founder of PR agency KCD. He both helped and encouraged him as a young man arriving at the Balmain doors for the first time. All though Ed has now passed, Rousteing keeps his words close to his heart. “He described the spirit of subversion and deconstruction that entered runways, while mismatched layers, heavy boots, hand-embellished perfectos and artfully tattered jeans ruled the streets. I loved hearing about the best of that age’s bold, startling and often gritty artistic visions, put forward by talented young designers, photographers and artists from all types of backgrounds, all united by a shared fresh and rebellious vision. Just as Ed expected, those tales of powerful outlooks and surprising changes both inspired and stayed with me,” says the designer.
The collection refashions the gritty aesthetic which defined the early ’90s to feel attuned to the now, achieved through unexpected draping and oversized silhouettes. Clothes to glam up the everday.
Photography courtesy of Balmain.
