At WWD’s Retail & Apparel CEO summit, creative director Oliver Rousteing announced that for the first time in 16 years Balmain is returning to couture.

The Balmain Army is planned to march into the Paris Couture Week in January 2019. This will be Oliver Rousteing’s first stint as a couturier and the first fashion house’s couture collection in 16 years, since 2002 when Oscar de la Renta was the creative director.

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The latest attempt to boost the brand’s profile is not only looking “to bring back the Parisian DNA”, as Rousteing stated, but would also accentuate on beauty products, accessories and fragrances.

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The designer’s expansion plans are well underway, having already experimented with a number of more affordable brand collaborations. In 2017, Rousteing partnered with L’Oréal Paris on Balmain lipstick collection he had designed himself. In 2015, he collaborated with H&M, welcoming the opportunity to make his creations available to a wider audience through lower prices.

However, this type of co-operation with the customers has helped Balmain reach a younger audience and become more accessible. The upcoming collection is expected to navigate the opposite end of the design spectrum with couture that radiates luxury.

 

 

Words: Debora Kirilova | Subbing: Jeremy Ainsworth, Lucija Duzel