Olivier Rousteing's Balmain: A legacy between the catwalk and social media

For more than a decade, Olivier Rousteing stood at the centre of a fashion universe he had revolutionised. It was a world where luxury and pop culture collided and Parisian craftsmanship met digital visibility. His departure from Balmain after a total of 16 years, 14 of them as creative director, marks the end of an era for the fashion house. It also closes a chapter in fashion history that redefined what a creative director could be in the age of social media.

His appointment in 2011 made fashion history in several ways. At just 24 years old, he was considered the second-youngest non-founding creative director of all time. Only Yves Saint Laurent was younger, at 19, when he took the helm at Dior in 1957. While Saint Laurent founded his own label after three years, the creative remained loyal to Balmain for over a decade. He spent his entire young adulthood within the walls of a single maison, something almost unthinkable in today's fashion world. Additionally, Rousteing was the first Black creative director of a French luxury fashion house at a time when calls for greater diversity in fashion were rarely heard.

His appointment at Balmain was therefore anything but a given. He was young, ambitious and still completely unknown to most. For the fashion house, however, he was no stranger, as the designer had already worked for two years under his predecessor, Christophe Decarnin. Decarnin had revived Balmain with a new, rock-inspired attitude, a style that also shaped Rousteing's first seasons. The young designer, however, translated this attitude into a global language. In the years that followed, he not only designed fashion but also shaped a new cultural narrative that extended far beyond the catwalks.

Influencers at the helm of a couture house

The aesthetic he created at Balmain had a lasting impact on the fashion of the 2010s. In the early years of his career, his work was dominated by uncompromising glamour; metallic embroidery; pronounced shoulders and body-conscious silhouettes. These designs were perfectly suited for flashbulbs and Instagram posts. What truly set Rousteing apart from his contemporaries, however, was his strategic use of social media. As one of the first designers to do so, he specifically used digital platforms, involved celebrities and became an influencer in his own right.

He recognised early on how crucial visibility and storytelling would become for luxury brands. While other houses still kept their distance from celebrities, especially influencers and reality TV stars, Rousteing used pop culture as a creative engine. His close ties to personalities like Kim Kardashian and Kanye West were initially met with scepticism but proved to be forward-thinking. The “Balmain Army” he created—a network of models, influencers, musicians and athletes—turned the brand into a global phenomenon, as present on social media as it was on the Parisian catwalks.

His designs were by no means reserved for a small, select group. In 2015, the designer extended the reach of his “Army” through a collaboration with H&M. To this day, the collaboration between Balmain and the Swedish fashion retailer is considered one of the most successful, and most expensive, designer collaborations in H&M's history. The collection sold out within minutes, a moment in which luxury, mass culture and social media impressively converged.

His successful strategy was not only reflected in its reach but also in the hard numbers. Under Rousteing's leadership, Balmain recorded continuous growth. According to Vogue, in 2012, his first full year as creative director, turnover was 30.4 million euros and profit was 3.1 million. Last year, revenue was estimated at around 300 million euros. This development confirms that his early instinct to combine luxury fashion with digital appeal brought not only attention but also economic success.

Part of his success story is also reflected in the expansion of Balmain's product world. In 2016, he reintroduced the menswear collection, which had once been established by Pierre Balmain himself, before presenting his first official couture collection in 2019. Although Balmain had always produced bespoke one-off pieces for selected clients, the house had not shown an official couture collection for fourteen years at that point.

In 2024, the brand expanded its growing portfolio by launching Balmain Beauty in collaboration with the US cosmetics group Estée Lauder Companies. The first collection, eight unisex fragrances, was presented by Rousteing, who explained that he wanted to “represent all the beauties of the world. Without exception.” This message reflects a core aspect of his work: the pursuit of diversity and inclusion, which is closely linked to his own life story.

Personal history as a creative guide

Adopted as an infant in Bordeaux, the fashion designer later discovered his biological roots in Somalia and Ethiopia, a realisation that decisively shaped his self-image and creative mission. In his 2019 documentary “Wonder Boy: Olivier Rousteing”, he revealed his personal journey from his childhood in an orphanage and the bureaucratic hurdles in search of his roots to the moment he was finally able to see his birth records. In it, he emphasises that the search for identity and self-acceptance is inextricably linked to his work in fashion.

This awareness is also reflected in his philosophy, where diversity is not an afterthought but is structurally embedded. This is evident through inclusive castings that feature different ethnicities, genders and body shapes, and through a creative mindset that allows room for different perspectives.

Another event that strongly influenced his work in recent years was a fire in his Paris flat, which left the designer with severe burns on his upper body. Rousteing kept the injuries secret for almost a year while continuing to work on his collections. He later shared the scars on Instagram, showing that vulnerability can be as much a part of his work as glamour and perfection. The experience had a lasting influence on his collections. Motifs such as bandages, textures reminiscent of gauze and silhouettes symbolising survival and strength became an expression of personal and collective resilience.

In recent seasons, Rousteing pursued a more minimalist approach that focused on craftsmanship and reflected his personal development. In retrospect, what is now known as his final Balmain collection for SS26 could embody this very transformation of the creative director, who returned to his beginnings as a final gesture.

The designer presented the collection in a new, more serene form of expression, where the opulence remained but appeared organic and down-to-earth. Instead of strict silhouettes, the collection featured flowing blousons; dresses and bags with shells and wooden beads; and casual fringes and tassels. Technical masterpieces remained present but now served a purpose that radiated naturalness rather than opulence.

The collection was presented in the ballroom of the Intercontinental Hotel, where he showed his very first collection on September 28, 2011. With the SS26 collection and the chosen location, the designer told various media outlets that he wanted to make a statement, a powerful experience in a season marked by a new era and new beginnings. Perhaps, however, it was in reality a quiet farewell.

If Rousteing's words on Instagram are to be believed—“A new chapter, a new beginning, a new story”—it is only a temporary farewell. While Balmain now continues without him, everything suggests that his creative signature could soon take shape in a new place, ready to once again open the dialogue between luxury, pop culture and personal vision.