The collaboration between designers and celebrities often results in ready-to-wear collections, but it is less common for a couture collection to emerge from such partnerships. However, Balmain’s artistic director, Olivier Rousteing, and superstar Beyoncé have defied this norm with the creation of the Renaissance Couture collection.
The genesis of this project began in July of last year when Rousteing discovered Beyoncé’s seventh solo album, Renaissance. Intrigued by the album’s atmosphere and the themes it explored through its rhythms, lyrics, and melodies, Rousteing started sketching his ideas. After a few phone calls and messages, the designer officially joined forces with Beyoncé, who was already a muse for Balmain. Rousteing expresses his gratitude to Beyoncé for inspiring him, pushing him to expand his fashion vision, and igniting a wave of new ideas and sketches. He emphasizes the album’s impact, stating that after three years of the pandemic, Beyoncé’s music was a much-needed source of inspiration and a call to return to the real world. The rhythms, commitments, and messages conveyed in the album motivated both Rousteing and Beyoncé to collaborate closely.
Beginning in September, the duo embarked on remote work sessions that culminated in a lookbook shoot in Los Angeles in January. The result of their collaboration is the Renaissance Couture collection, comprising 16 sculptural silhouettes that resonate with the album’s tracklist. The fashion house highlights the involvement of the Balmain creative team and Beyoncé’s stylist, Marni Senofonte, in showcasing classic Parisian craftsmanship and a wide range of unexpected materials and techniques. Elie Hirsch, a sculptor, created metal bustiers for the collection, and featherwork and 3D printing techniques were also incorporated. Each silhouette in the collection contributes to the storytelling, and Rousteing himself narrates the journey behind the designs.
Beyoncé praises Rousteing as a dream collaborator and a creative force who constantly innovates and evolves. She commends his contributions to breaking down barriers and opening doors as a black designer and expresses her pride in the synergy created between their teams. This collaboration is not the first between Balmain and Beyoncé. The fashion house previously created two exclusive collections for her performances at the Coachella festival in 2018. These performances, with the first show being the most-watched in the history of the festival, led to the creation of a documentary called Homecoming, directed and produced by Beyoncé herself. This documentary brought significant visibility to Balmain.
To view the lookbook for the Renaissance Couture collection, click here.
