Balmain SS 2022: ten years of Rousteing at the maison

I have very clear in mind the memory of the day I saw the first Olivier Rousteing show for Balmain. Young, black and unknown. He had to be really good to have gotten the direction of a maison of that level. He didn’t even take five minutes to prove it but, you know, in this environment there are many tough figures who are not easily convinced. Especially in Milan, even more so in Paris.

In these 10 years in Balmain (yes, with this show we celebrated the tenth anniversary) Rousteing has fought hard against the aforementioned rumors, demonstrating step by step that he has nothing to envy to anyone. Indeed, he has clearly shown everyone how a young man with the “social” charge as his can be a real godsend these days.

And if in the latest collections there have been real declarations of innovation on how a fashion show should be, this time the cry for change is really impossible not to notice. We all know, for those who watch it, what the catwalk atmosphere is usually like. It could be defined as austere. And we know how much the arrival of the screaming and giggling (whistling at times) influencers and pop stars was mocked at the beginning on those front rows.

Rousteing shows us with this fashion show/party how according to young people the fashion show should be. This was a memorable event, of irrepressible joy for the vision of the top models by almost 6 thousand spectators. And, as if that were not enough, the catwalk seasoned with a final concert in which Doja Cat performed immediately after the show and Franz Ferdinand in the final. And if you didn’t get goosebumps with the location, the lights, the music and the first look at the opening, then there is something wrong.

“Much ado about nothing,” some would say when it seems (sometimes rightly) that overly seasoned things hide poor cuisine. But this certainly cannot be said for Balmain under Olivier Rousteing. The 114 looks but not at all boring, mixed man and woman, are a fiery and sexy summary of these ten years, with a particular eye on his love for modeling. Dessert with a series of iconic top models to wear his most sparkling clothes, with a moving speech by Beyoncé in the background.

The emotional Rousteing final catwalk, accompanied by tops and an absurd roar of applause , suggests something more than a celebration, perhaps a greeting. Obviously hoping that this is not the case, we can only say that if he were to separate from the maison it will certainly not be due to having slipped.