TRENDS group CEO interviewed in Marie Claire to talk about Olivier Rousteing’s Balmain Army
Our CEO Jean-Baptiste Quesnay was interviewed by french Marie Claire to talk about the influence of Olivier Rousteing’s Balmain Army. An article here in english, with the original version in french here.
Formed in the early 2010s by Olivier Rousteing, the “Balmain Army” is made up of iconic models and powerful personalities. More than sources of inspiration for the French designer, this group of muses changed the course of fashion.
Their names are Carla Bruni, Joan Smalls, Binx Walton, Kim Kardashian, Alessandra Ambrosio, and even Rihanna. Although they exercised diverse professions and came from completely different backgrounds, each of these women can boast of being Olivier Rousteing ‘s muse .
For 10 years now, they have posed together in Balmain campaigns and in selfies alongside the artistic director of Balmain . But do you know the history of the Balmain Army?
THE “BALMAIN ARMY”, AN UNUSUAL INCLUSIVE ARMY
April 26, 2011. After working in the brand’s creative studio, Olivier Rousteing is appointed Artistic Director of Balmain. At only 25 years old, he must perform within this French fashion house which was created in the post-war period.
The young designer slowly asserts his style throughout the collections and as if to set his intentions, he forms what he calls the Balmain Army : an army of muses that wants to be powerful.
Just by its name, the Balmain Army changes the situation since it involves a large number of muses whereas at this period, designers only swore by a single star muse.
As one of the few black creatives at the helm of a major luxury brand, Rousteing takes the notion of inclusion very seriously. He thus summons racialized women of diverse morphologies into his army of muses and some of them prove to be daring choices for the time.
“He was not afraid to include in his Balmain Army iconic models like Carla Bruni and controversial women like Kim Kardashian who had a body very different from the luxury norm at the time, nor even young it- girls like Jourdan Dunn” analyzes Jean-Baptise Quesnay, founder of the Trends Paris agency .
For the first time in fashion, we are witnessing the formation of a group of muses which, unlike Supermodels , do not only include models and are not intended to promote a single type of beauty.
The Balmain Army by its very existence means that all women are powerful when they come together.
It must also be said that the army assembled by Olivier Rousteing appears at a time when Beyoncé is letting the whole world know, in song, that women rule the world. A message of sorority that the stylist personifies through his muses. Thus, we see the members of the Balmain Army united on the front row , backstage at Balmain fashion shows and in the brand’s campaigns.
Over the seasons, models like Maria Borges, Binx Walton and Joan Smalls become essentials at the label’s fashion shows.
The Balmain army also welcomes new members each season: in 2015, the rapper Kanye West joined it and today, the Brazilian footballer Neymar, Cindy Bruna , Precious Lee, Lupita Nyong’o, and even Juliette Binoche continue to make this iconic group of muses.
MUSES WHO BROKE THE CODES OF LUXURY
With his muses, Olivier Rousteing made Balmain the first luxury house to use social networks to establish its popularity. Remember that until then, fashion brands relied mainly on the magazine press and the social events for which they dressed celebrities.
“From 2010 , things changed in particular because Instagram arrived and Olivier Rousteing was one of the first to launch influence in the luxury sector by bringing the biggest personalities known on Instagram into his Balmain Army ” explains Jean- Baptiste Quesnay from Trends Paris.
If today Léna Mahfouf joined Oliver Rousteing’s dream team , in 2015 it was Instagram star Kylie Jenner who became the face of a Balmain campaign.
The other Instagram star at the time? It was Rihanna. A year earlier, she joined the powerful army and posed complicitly with Iman and Naomi Campbell in a Balmain spot.
“Everything looks easy but it’s down to the millimeter. The founder of Supreme once said “we go to great lengths to make people believe that everything is done with simplicity” and through the friendly side of the Balmain Army , we forget that behind it is a huge machine because these are very hard personalities to bring together.” comments the founder of the Trends Paris agency.
By choosing as muses personalities who speak to audiences of all ages and from different backgrounds, the brand’s image has been rejuvenated and its popularity has skyrocketed.
This is also explained by the fact that Rousteing has gotten into the habit of publishing selfies with his muses on his networks. Photos that make us also want to join this prestigious circle of friends.
Jean-Baptiste Quesnay: “this team of women who are all friends grew up on social networks by creating a spider web that they weaved together by reposting each other’s photos. All this created a virtuous mapping for Balmain.” So much so that anyone interested in celebrities knows the Balmain brand.
The Balmain Army can today boast of having inspired other fashion houses to create their own storytelling around recurring muses. We think in particular of the Jacquemus brand which develops its Provençal aesthetic around its flagship models and socialites who, too, are particularly close to the designer who brings them together.
