Balmain presented the Spring/Summer 2021 collection at Paris Fashion Week with a show that combined digital and IRL.
The setting designed for the occasion by Olivier Saillard included the installation of 58 front row OLED screens, in collaboration with the South Korean company LG, which showed the guests who could not be present at the show.
Among the digitally connected guests were “present” Anna Wintour, Jennifer Lopez, Cara Delevingne, Milla Jovovich, Usher, Cindy Crawford and many others.
The entire show was a tribute to the founder of the Maison, the French couturier Pierre Balmain, and was planned by the creative director of the Maison, Olivier Rousteing, during the lockdown in a very informal way through video calls on Zoom, sitting around their kitchen tables or on the sofas in the living room.
The collection was presented highlighting 3 key themes of the Maison: heritage, community, and optimism.
Rousteing wanted to share his vision and the motivations that have led him to accomplish some stylistic and not: “This Maison, as I often repeat, has optimism and audacity built into its DNA. Let us never forget that 75 years ago, Pierre Balmain was willing to make a bold gamble after years of war, occupation and suffering, was ready to leave, and founded his fashion house during an unstable period of shortages, tensions and difficulties immediately after the liberation of France. He was young, daring, and convinced to wait for better days. And his energy, boldness, and optimism helped ensure that this brand was one of the forces that helped make Paris the fashion capital of the world again.”.
Regarding the decision to place screens in the front row he said: “Being forced apart taught us just how much we actually depend on being together. Fashion’s post-confinement efforts have made it very clear that design thrives when there is a constant dialogue, exchange of ideas, and shared experiences and we are all trying to find new ways to make that happen. We’ve all experienced the awesome power of 2020’s solidarity, compassion, and tenacity which assures us that we can and will move through this moment and emerge stronger”.
The elements that characterized the show were: the return of the PB monogram as an all-over print, the use of crystals, double-breasted blazers combined with shorts, jackets with pagoda shoulders, total denim look, and 70s pants combined with more classic jackets.
The color palette saw grey and black as the main tones, as well as fluorescent tones such as lime and fuchsia.
A new project in collaboration with Apple was also presented at the end of the show. A playlist called Signature curated by Rousteing himself and the editors of Apple Music, which focuses on the concepts of identity, empowerment, and belonging and contains pieces by artists who somehow reflect the identity of the brand such as Depeche Mode, The Weekend, and many others.
