January 16, 2018 |
Judging by this latest campaign, we don’t think we’re overreacting when we liken Monsieur Olivier Rousteing to a polymath. And of all the polys one could be; polygamous (many wives), polygastric (many stomachs), polyabuser (many drugs) – a polymath is surely the best. Leonardo Da Vinci was one, and Galileo, so a not-too-shabby crowd to be grouped with. The reason for our claim? This Balmain campaign, lensed by Olivier himself, and featuring the Spring/ Summer 2018 wares, also designed by his fair hand. Science and philosophy? He can probably do that too. Speaking directly via la release (yes, writing’s not a problem either), Rousteing spoke of imbuing the images with Balmain’s celebration of youth, of capturing his generation’s spirit, values and taste and working them into the shots.
“While planning for and shooting this campaign” said Rousteing, “I wanted to ensure that the same youthful spirit was front and centre in each and every final image”. This he did with a bevy of fresh-faced beauties including, Alenya Fitzgerald, Valery Kaufman, Tami Williams and Roosmarjin De Kok, who appear here in all their radiant youth. Equally important for Olivier was the need to incorporate Balmain’s French heritage, inherent within the brand’s DNA, and here transposed via the magnificent Château de Baronville, which provided the shoot location. Because what’s more French than a bloody great Château?
