Balmain SS23 Ready To Wear
Inclusive, Cultural and Sculptural are words that can be used to summarize Olivier Rousteing’s Balmain SS23 Ready to Wear show.
Image from Vogue Runway Balmain SS23 Ready to Wear
Set in the Jean Bouin Stadium in Paris, Rousteing uses the Balmain festival as an opportunity to reflect on his mixed Afro-European cultural heritage, while sending clear warnings on the dangers of global warming.
Up to 8000 guests attended the show which fused the runway with a concert setting, including the likes of Jasmine Tookes and Neymar who watched close to the action from the pits of the raised marble-like catwalk. Other guests chose from the thousands of stadium seats which surrounded the runway.
Throughout the show, hints of African designs and East Asian silhouettes are used as the foundation of this collection. Rousteing merges haute couture sculptural techniques with ready to wear, that resemble art pieces rather than being accessible garments. Besides the overall aesthetic of each look, the real focus of this collection was on its curation to be as sustainable as possible. The Creative Director of the house conceded that the collection wasn’t entirely sustainable, but that it was their main priority. A range of natural fabrics were used, from paper and tree bark to banana leaf and woven raffia to construct, for example, dresses that resembled straw hats with structured three-dimensional silhouettes.
In this way, the collection proved to be a step back from aesthetic focused fashion, and a step towards the brands recognition of their environmental responsibility. After celebrating 10 years as Creative Director of Balmain, Rousteing admits that this shift in mindset was heavily influenced by the pressing environmental concerns, sparked by the global fires destroying homes and forests. He encapsulated his desperation for climate aid with a segment featuring black garments with uniform flame prints to represent the damaging effects of global warming.
Image from Vogue Runway Balmain SS23 Ready to Wear
This wasn’t the only use of prints. The couture house brought the ceilings of the Sistine Chapel to the runway as soft printed details. A classic, Michelangelo continues to influence designs with his paintings being used, in this instance, as a repeated pattern; The fragility of the nude bodies working hand in hand with the fluidity of the drapes.
As mentioned, the collection was a way to explore cultural roots which is most evident through the countless iterations of weaving using rudimentary fabrics. This style offered abstract and symmetrical silhouettes to what would have been an average mini dress or blazer. The House’s iconic, yet overly embellished style was reimagined with natural materials and a modernised twist that kept the signature exaggerated shoulder frame. East Asian references are suggested through various forms of trains on capes and blazers which take the shape of robes cinched at the waist with Basque corsets.
Styling continued the theme with plantation hats, adopting a luxury feel whilst keeping their function. Chunky heeled sandals with turned up soles were crafted in a way that gave the impression that they had been cut from a block of wood and little to no alterations were made to them to keep their rustic look. The ironically unnatural platform heel was bound to the foot with spaghetti strap fastenings.
Regarding structure, Rousteing explored it all from pleated, starched skirts to the soft furnishing of crepe back satin in wide leg trousers. Eyes are immediately drawn to the waistline which is accentuated with curved outlines. The effortless drapes were countered with twisted textures found in the cordeliere belts which mirrored the garments that had braided rope embellishments. This could be a nod to the aquacultural industries in Africa which resembles sailing rope as well as distressed knit jumpers that imitate fishing nets.
Some might however find similarities with the costumes of the Marvel movie Black Panther where African textiles and designs dominated the casts wardrobe. Although not as elaborate as the film’s lip plate jewellery, the collection’s adornments went beyond the basic necklace and earring, including gold, oversized orbital bracelets with lip, nose and chin rings.
The models sported a natural “no-makeup” makeup look to keep the attention on the intricate details of the wearable art. As always with Rousteing, he chose a range of ethnicities and body shapes to show off his designs in a way that is representative of the masses. This motif was carried through the collection’s colour pallet of raw, undyed, natural fabrics which hosted a wide spectrum of nude tones. Even the details of hairstyles demonstrated the brands ethos regarding representation as viewers could spot feed in braids and locks as well as a relaxed brushed back coiffure.
Balmain SS23 ready to wear offers a conscious wardrobe with meaning. Olivier Rousteing continues to ask himself, and now challenges the Balmain Army, “How can we create clothes made with nature, without destroying nature?” We look forward to the response in future collections.
