No one can deny it: Balmain, famous for exquisite and expensive pieces is the favourite fashion house of just about anyone and everyone involved in fashion at the moment. Just weeks after bypassing Chanel as the most eagerly anticipated show of Paris Fashion Week back in September, Balmain pulled out all the stops with a show previewing the Balmain X H&M collection.
When Oscar de la Renta was taken on to lead the house in the 90s, he brought an iconic face to it, generating recognition within the world of fashion. But without a doubt, it was the installation of Olivier Rousteing who truly propelled the brand into the spotlight in 2011. Since being appointed head designer, the brand has accumulated a worldwide following of millions, with Rousteing himself acquiring 1.6 million followers on Instagram.
Rousteing has instilled a huge amount of modernity and pop culture into the brand that has placed it way ahead of any other haute-couture fashion house. He uses the top supermodels of the moment to star in his campaigns, such as Cara Delevingne for Autumn-Winter 14 when she was fashion’s ‘it-girl,’ and current favourites Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid and Joan Smalls.
And in a way that sets him apart from the likes of Karl Lagerfeld and Riccardo Tisci (we still love them, by the way). He is great friends with the models and ambassadors of his lines as he constantly uploads selfies with them and paparazzi shots of them looking fantastic in his clothes.
With these pictures infiltrating our social media feeds every day (strategically uploaded at around 7am so they’re some of the first shots we see on our morning scroll), is it any wonder that Balmain has become the leading fashion house it is?
The use of celebrities has been highly influential in building the status Balmain has today. Alongside knowing the top supermodels of the world personally as well as professionally, Rousteing appeared to become best friends with the Kardashian clan around the time that people were becoming more accepting of them. With a family that is photographed every single day, Balmain has had a lot of exposure – especially last year in the build up to the Kimye wedding, when they were photographed in Paris for a week and Kim wore this dress:
In the past couple of years, Balmain has become a wardrobe staple for a lot of celebrities, particularly on the red carpet. Balmain is represented everywhere, with Rousteing often sending a complimentary item and always congratulating them on the way they wore the look. The more we see the clothes, the more we want them.
And we can have them! Announcements of new H&M collaborations are always exciting and hearing about Balmain X H&M has not disappointed. The collection looks as stunning as Balmain clothes always do and are, of course, showcased by the likes of Gigi, Kendall and Jourdan Dunn. Although some items are priced at above £500(!!), there are still plenty of affordable items below £100, so we don’t have to completely rinse our student loans. We can’t wait to join the #hmbalmaination.
Edited by Lucy Jackman
Sources:
https://instagram.com/p/9Qr6oHQtFW/?taken-by=olivier_rousteing
https://instagram.com/p/9MFbpDwtB5/?taken-by=olivier_rousteing