Balmain Rewarded For Historical Documentary Series

It’s not just on social media that Balmain continues to make waves. As the fashion house celebrates two important milestones — 75 years since its founding and 10 years at the helm for creative director Olivier Rousteing — it has been diving deep into archival material to develop a range of documentaries and podcasts.

The former, a web series of historical videos called “Balmain Heritage,” has just won first prize in the web series category at The Spot Festival, an event rewarding corporate audiovisual communications in France.

Produced in partnership with France’s National Audiovisual Institute and directed by documentary makers Isabelle Foucrier and Thibaut Sève, the series features four episodes on different aspects of the house’s heritage, exploring parallels between the philosophies and accomplishments of the house’s founder, a key player in France’s postwar fashion renaissance, and Rousteing, who has succeeded in bringing the brand to new generations.

 

One episode explores Balmain’s founding in the 1940s, while a second covers Pierre Balmain’s relationship with the U.S., for example.

Better known under its acronym INA, the National Audiovisual Institute is a public body charged with collecting, safeguarding and sharing France’s audiovisual heritage.

Meanwhile, each episode of the “l’Atelier Balmain” series of 10 podcasts, currently airing, examines a specific element or event from the house’s history. A second season launching in September will follow Rousteing’s upcoming initiatives, including a behind-the-scenes view of his creative process.