How Olivier Rousteing Paid Homage To Pierre Balmain In The House’s AW21 Collection Through Flight And For Freedom

Balmain’s autumn-winter 2021 collection for men and women was revealed today digitally in conjunction with Paris Fashion Week. Done from an Air France airplane, the collection was not just about jet setting somewhere, but more of a homage to its namesake founder Pierre Balmain, who after his first couture presentation seventy-five years ago, packed his bags and set sail to the United States, and at the directive of his friend Gertrude Stein, gave talks on French culture and savoir-faire across the country.

It’s a collection that’s yes, about fashion and Olivier Rousteing’s talent in designing the most ravishing pieces of clothes, it’s also about freedom. The past year the whole world has known what it’s like to have its freedom impeded, and Rousteing’s collection takes us through the eyes of Balmain who went on from the US, to London, and then Down Under to Australia to expose Aussies to “New French Style.” His roving ambassadorship, notes Rousteing in a statement, “after the anxious years of war and occupation, suddenly offered Balmain the long-denied possibility of escaping to destinations that he had been dreaming about for years—and it must have felt incredible.”

“Many of our designs riff on the distinctive beauty found in the uniforms of early pilots and astronauts, with takes on parachute dresses, lace-up flight boots, bomber jackets and shimmering anti-g jumpsuits. One particularly striking design relies on over 68 thousand upcycled Swarovski crystals, making very clear our atelier’s success in mixing luxury embellishments with these aviator inspirations.”

The silhouettes in the collection are inspired by Paris’ post-war fashion renaissance. Relaunching the Labyrinth print for handbags and brining a touch of the City of Lights into the collection with its ELYsées 64-83 perfume collection.

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Valentin Petit and his team shot today’s video inside Air France’s impressive hangars, where aeronautical and technological expertise make possible the elegant beauty of flight—just as the skills of our Parisian atelier allow Balmain runways to soar,” notes Rousteing. The video presentation was made possible by Air France, Dyson, Jennie Vinter, L’Oréal Paris and Swarovski. And adding an artistic touch, the moon in the film offers a promise as the House of Balmain looks forward to the future of lunar runways.