Balmain Is Taking Its Couture Show To The Seine

Olivier Rousteing is rethinking Balmain’s summertime couture presentation. Rather than a video or a traditional look book, the creative director is bringing his Balmain Army to a barge on the Seine River in the heart of Paris on July 5.

“I think every one of us will forever remember this past spring as being a dark one, marked by strange new fears and mandatory isolation. Even for those lucky enough to only have had to deal with Zoom frustrations and cabin fever, the recent confinement made very clear just how much we had taken for granted until that moment. Forced apart, we suddenly realized that we depended on being together,” the designer wrote in a press release detailing the logistics of Balmain’s Seine cruise. The event, which will feature live models and performers, will be closed to the public but visible from the banks of the river.

The cruise coincides with the maison’s 75th anniversary, inspiring Rousteing to present a selection of archival Balmain couture looks from its founder Pierre Balmain and previous creative directors Erik Mortensen and Oscar de la Renta, as well as from Rousteing’s own oeuvre with the brand. In addition, there will be a small presentation of new menswear and womenswear looks by Rousteing. The event was conceptualized in collaboration with Andrew Makadsi, who has worked with Beyoncé, with choreography by Jean-Charles Jousni and a live musical performance by Yseult.