Elegant, sophisticated, radiant. Just a few words that only begin to describe the work of Balmain. Balmain is in fact of one of the few haute couture fashion houses that have stood the test of time and are still considered relevant in the fashion industry today. With the recent showing of Balmain's Spring/Summer 2015 collection, let's take a look back and discover the history behind this dynamic fashion house and how Olivier Rousteing plans to dominate the runways going forward.
For those of you who don't know, Balmain is a French fashion house established in 1945 by Pierre Balmain (that handsome guy on the right). Pierre Balmain was born in 1914 into a very fashionable family. His father owned a drapery business until his death in 1921 and his mother and sister owned a fashion boutique where he often worked after his father's death. With his love and passion for fashion, this eventually led him to study in this field and eventually release his first collection in 1945 and his first fragrance in 1949. It is even noted that Christian Dior was a great inspiration and influence to him as they met postwar in the fashion industry.
Balmain, the brand, first captured the eye of the fashion world with its long bell-shaped skirts and small waists, which was a post war look or better known as the "New Look" credited to Christian Dior, as with the war ending designers were encouraged to bring back the glamour into fashion. His collection was first featured and reviewed in Vogue where it was stated that his collection featured "beautiful clothes that you really wanted to wear" and from there the designer's fame, including the brand also, was sealed. Some of its early supporters included the Queen of Thailand, Gertrude Stein, and the Duchess of Windsor.
Balmain's collections started to receive more and more notoriety between 2008 and 2009 by more fashion magazines, runways, and celebrities, and with the showing of the 2010 collection, it was said to be "totally retro", bringing back the glitz and the glam of the 1970's era.
With that being said, Olivier Rousteing probably didn't anticipate taking over one of the most powerful fashion houses in 2011,but that's exactly what he's doing. Olivier was born in 1986, four years after Pierre Balmain passed away, and quickly rose to the top of the fashion ladder. In 2011 when Christophe Decarnin stepped down as head designer and after working under Roberto Cavalli, this young and vibrant designer was granted the once in a lifetime opportunity to dominate the fashion industry as we know today. You may be familiar with the face, as he's Rihanna's right hand man, posing in her Twitter pics while she's out on the town. But Olivier is so much more than that, he's the creative mastermind behind the brand. He has the vision and the talent to keep the spirit alive Pierre Balmain created when the brand first launched in 1945, and you can see it in the recently debuted Spring/Summer 2015 Collection:
The recent collection consists of vibrant and bold color choices, sleek and feminine design and composition, and represents the message Pierre captured so long ago, bringing the woman back into the garment. Though Pierre has passed, Olivier has what it takes to keep Balmain going, and to revolutionize the brand as that of the sexy and powerful woman.
BONUS! Balmain S/S 2015 Live Runway Show brought to you by Balmain:
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