The Balmain label has been a red carpet favorite for years. From the early days following World War II, and all throughout the 1950s and 1960s, beautiful fashion designs from Balmain have graced the likes of Brigitte Bardot, Sophia Loren to today’s Kendall Jenner and Kim Kardashian. The name that began with Pierre Balmain, a king of French fashion, has seen various designers influencing its look throughout the more than 70 years on the couture and haute couture scene. Today’s looks are created by head designer, Olivier Rousteing.
What Rousteing brings to fashion is a go-to look for young Hollywood. He connected the Balmain name with H&M Kendall Jenner, Jourdan Dunn and Gigi Hadid. Of course, no Balmain show nowadays would be complete without Kim Kardashian West flaunting the look of such designs as her favorite hourglass armour dresses.
Balmain had made a name for himself from the start with the iconic silhouettes of the 1940s and his iconic tailored Balmain jackets. Perhaps the most well-known head of design was Oscar de la Renta who dominated classic feminine designs in the 1990s. In 2011, a young, 25-year-old named Olivier Routsteing, took the helm and was promoted into the position as head designer for the Balmain brand. Young Routsteing brings a bit of an avant-garde look while still upholding the Balmain reputation of class and opulence and also focusing on streetwear. Rousteing brings his unique designs and infuses them with casual dress options without downgrading the look. The Balmain brand is still known for its sharply tailored double-breasted jackets, coats, mini dresses, and pencil skirts.
Additionally, Rousteing enjoys social media success and attention that is consistently spotlighted on his designs. The Balmain Haute Couture label became the first French fashion house to acquire more than one million Instagram followers with stylish women wanting to be part of the #balmainarmy.
Rousteing’s influence and success in the fashion world go beyond social media platforms. He is a natural at original designs that tend to push boundaries while creating new ones. He is noted for his bold print pairings, color-blocked fur jackets, and leather-on-leather designs.
The Balmain’s original objective of introducing and preserving the original vision is still very much in tact, which was to design clothes for the Jolie madame and to accent the beauty and charm of women. All of the designer heads who followed Pierre Balmain’s lead have added a piece of their own flair to the fabric that makes up the brand of fine fashion design.