1945: Pierre Balmain founded his eponymous brand at 44 rue François 1er in Paris. In post-war France, his Jolie Madame look, with a marked waist and extraordinary ornamentation, would soon establish itself as the new female fashion. Celebrities wouldn’t take long to get their hands on it. In the 50s, Balmainwas called on by France’s budding stars: Juliette Greco, Brigitte Bardot, and Dalida often found the essence of a new elegance in Balmain’s lines. In 1950, a certain Saint Germain des Près muse sported her very first black dress on the Tabou stage. It was a black velvet sheath by Balmain. The owner of the jazz club bought it on sale – but Juliette Greco preferred a more stripped down version. After cutting out gilded satin trimmings with nail clippers, she made it her iconic look. Soon, an international audience would succumb to this new couturier’s charms. From Belgium to Denmark, crowned heads were dazzled by this chic style made of neutral but rich shades of white, sand, taupe, and grey. In 1960, Queen Sirikit of Thailand wore one of Pierre Balmain’s creations on a visit to the United States – it was an instant classic, and the brand’s communications angle was set in stone. Celebrities would wear this sophisticated label loud and proud.
Balmain dressed many a star: Audrey Hepburn, Sophia Loren, Ava Gardner… Actresses, singers, and Queens, celebrities were a constant source of inspiration for the couturier and for his greatest ads. In 1982, Pierre Balmain’s death marked an abrupt halt for the brand. It wasn’t until 10 years later in 1992 that Oscar de la Renta would bring back the Balmain magic. Stars like Jacky Onassis and Liza Minnelli were still the best echo of his collections. In the early 2000s, the Balmain woman was no longer the same: Christophe Decarnin and Olivier Rousteing revisited the founder’s classics to yield a woman that was more sexy than sensual, a touch rock and roll and still glamorous as ever. The ‘Glamazon’ was born, and from the time of his arrival at the head of Balmain’s creative direction in 2011, Olivier Rousteing got back to the founder’s celebrity marketing approach with modern day icons.
Just like Pierre Balmain who always took inspiration from his models to create new collections, who always travelled with his whole team, even going so far as to share their free time together with outings to the zoo, Olivier Rousteing formed his own battalion. The Balmain Army is today made up of Kanye West and Kim Kardashian, Cara Delevingne, Rihanna, and Jordan Dunn. On posters, ad spots, or Instagram – massively utilized by the young designer – Balmain’s campaigns display Olivier Rousteing’s new woman: a strong woman who takes control, a self-affirmed woman who fears nothing. In his maximalist campaigns, Rousteing finds the brand’s lost notoriety – like with the Spring/Summer 2014 campaign that featured Rihanna at the height of her sexiness. The 2016 season borrowed poses and impact from the founder’s philosophy as the creative director posed next to his creation worn by Cindy Crawford. Now we’re waiting with bated breath for the Fall/Winter 2017 campaign shot by Steven Klein!
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