Olivier Rousteing

"The Rebel of fashion"

Originally from Bordeuax, Olivier Rousteing is a French fashion designer who studied at the Ecole Supérieure des Arts et Techniques de la Mode in Paris. After graduating, he became a designer for the Italian Cavalli house, in 2003. Gaining an appreation for the Italian fashion sense telling Last Magazine "I always loved the really French style, but there was something that I loved about Italy that we didn’t get in France. It was more the bling aspect, this kind of richness.” Rousteing was then hired in 2009 at Balmain, quickly rising to creative director in 2011 after working closely with previous creative director Christophe Decarnin. The then 25 year old designer pushed Balmain into the 21st century with the help of social media, and celebrity branding in a pursuit to make Balmain international; a global, strong and powerful empire.

Balmain Fall 2012

The faberge egg

"When you speak about Faberge, it always reminds people of this richness from a long time ago" - Olivier Rousteing

In Rousteing's earlier work at Balmain he held true to his first love French couture and created a collection inspired by elegant Faberge eggs, allowing him to incorporate structured and utilitarian tailoring with his love of the Italian flair.

Mens Spring 2016

The early 20th century explorer

In Rousteing's first mens wear show he wanted to communicate who the Balmain man was at the time. he admired the explorers of the 20th century he explains, “During their epic journeys, these men notably melded the styles of distinct cultures to create a truly adaptive wardrobe.” Something the fashionable and well traveled Balmain man needs from his everyday wardrobe.

Fall 2017

Nirvana

“I don’t like the idea of, art is just art, or fashion is just fashion, or music is just music.”

Rousteing has alway drawn inspiration from music, for his fall show he praised Kurt Cobain and Nirvana as his muses. Fur, fringe, hand-beading, velvet, croc, and leather were highlights in this collection serving as the armor to fight the norm in a very rock n' roll fashion. A Fashion unfiltered article reported Rousteing as saying“What I love about Kurt Cobain and Nirvana is the fact that they were no limits—rebellion forever. And legendary as well. I love that feeling of not being scared.”

In a push towards modernization Rousteing has done an amazing job at staying true to his utilitarian designs and impeccable French tailoring while still keeping it fresh with new materials and color palettes allowing him to add his love of the Italian richness, while always keeping things sexy.