OLIVIER ROUSTEING: MY BALMAIN FALL 2023 COLLECTIONS

Olivier Rousteing:

"My last runway surprised more than a few. Coverage of previous Balmain shows often focused on the fashion-week festivals and spectacles—but for our Fall 2023 Balmain Women’s designs, my team and I were determined to steer clear of the fireworks. Instead, we shone a single, perfectly directed spotlight upon the extraordinary possibilities offered to us whenever we celebrate this house’s rich heritage. We turned the volume way down, channeling the hushed atmosphere of Pierre Balmain’s intimate post-war couture salon presentations. By limiting the number of invitees, we allowed each guest the opportunity to better appreciate, close-up, just how our atelier’s impressive craftsmanship made possible the collection’s many surprising, fresh and modern spins on our founder’s signature silhouettes and this house’s most cherished codes.”

Click here for more information and images from the house’s unique Fall 2023 runway for women. 

Click here for more information and images from the house’s intimate Fall 2023 presentation for men. 

Olivier Rousteing:

"At the same time that Beyonce and I were working together on our Renaissance Couture collection, my team and I were finishing up Balmain’s most recent Paris Fashion Week runways and presentations, which were strongly focused on our founder’s incredible legacy. So, for both those men’s and women’s fall collections and our couture partnership, we drew much of our inspiration directly from Balmain’s rich archives. And, obviously, there was a lot to inspire us! That  treasury is overflowing with more than 75 years of extraordinary creations—beginning with the designs from the house’s pivotal first presentation, when Pierre Balmain wowed the fashion world with his bold New French Style and helped set post-war Parisian fashion down a new pathway. And, to continue that focus on history…  well, I can’t help but be thrilled by the history-making aspects of my design partnership with Beyoncé. This appears to be the first time that a Black woman has overseen the couture offering from a historic Parisian house. And those designs were created in partnership with the first Black man to ever oversee all the collections at a historic Parisian house. Let’s hope those two firsts help inspire plenty of others. In addition, I am certain that these Renaissance designs, once they enter into the house’s archives, are destined to inspire generations of future Balmain designers. 

Click here to view more images from and information about the Renaissance Couture Collection, jointly created by Beyoncé and Olivier Rousteing. 

Olivier Rousteing:

"For our Balmain Fall 2023 campaign, the same sharp focus on heritage and craftsmanship that was first viewed on our fashion-week runway, continues to drive us. So, we’re steering completely clear of props, dream locations and CGI—for this season’s images and videos, the camera is simply and exquisitely centered on precise Parisian tailoring and architectural volumes, helping make it very clear that this collection builds directly upon Pierre Balmain’s audacious and enduring ‘New French Style.’

Olivier Rousteing:

“Finding the right partner for this campaign was easy. I’m a big fan of the richly layered creations of Rafael Pavarotti, and I knew that his distinctive vision, with its mastery of light, color and texture, would offer the ideal pathway to make very clear the ever-bold power of Balmain’s singular craftsmanship, codes and cuts. I could not be happier with the final result. The campaign’s brilliant tones, lustrous shine and stunning models perfectly illustrate today’s modern Balmain, which superbly melds together an impressive legacy, deeply rooted in couture’s traditions and craft, with the beauty of twenty-first century Paris.”

Rafael Pavarotti:

“Developing the concept for this campaign with Olivier was a deeply creative experience. By highlighting the heritage of the house of Balmain, we were able to create something different, beautiful and timeless. I couldn't be happier with the results.”