Olivier Rousteing is black, 28, and not above posting shirtless selfies on Instagram. As the creative director of Balmain, all this makes him something of a rarity: Racial diversity, youth, and flagrant -modernity are not characteristics commonly associated with venerable French fashion houses, much less with the designers at their helm. Yet Rousteing—who after three successful years on the job has made it clear that he is not a fashion footnote—is determined to change that. “My job is not just to design clothes but to also give a new vision to fashion,” he declares. […]
For spring 2014 he cast Rihanna, whom he describes as “strong, sexy, at times androgynous—the new Madonna,” as the face of the brand. For fall, he presented a polished hip-hop/safari mash-up that opened with the black model Jourdan Dunn. But it is perhaps the photographs seen here, featuring Rihanna, Naomi Campbell, and Iman, that best express his vision for Balmain.
“These women are inspiring to so many different people,” he says. “Bringing them together represents the concept I’m working toward.”
Excerpts from Karin Nelson article for W Magazine. Read full story here.
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