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Olivier Rousteing

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Olivier Rousteing
Rousteing in 2016
Born (1985-09-13) 13 September 1985 (age 39)
Bordeaux, France
OccupationFashion designer
Years active2003–present

Olivier Rousteing (French: [ɔlivje ʁustɛ̃];[1][2] born 13 September 1985)[3] is a French fashion designer. He has been the creative director of Balmain since 2011.

Early life and education

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Rousteing born in Bordeaux and was adopted by his parents at the age of one.[4] His mother is an optician, while his father is a seaport manager.[4] He grew up in Bordeaux and moved to Paris to study at ESMOD (Ecole Supérieure des Arts et Techniques de la Mode). Like Jacquemus, he dropped out in his first year citing lack of creative freedom.[citation needed]

Career

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Early beginnings

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In 2003, Rousteing began his career at Roberto Cavalli, where he was promoted to creative director of the Italian label's women's ready-to-wear collection, serving for five years in that position.[5]

Balmain, 2009–present

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Rousteing joined Balmain in 2009.[6] During his early time at Balmain he worked closely with Christophe Decarnin, the then French fashion house's creative director.[5]

On 26 April 2011, at 25 years old, Rousteing replaced Decarnin as the creative director of Balmain.[7] While he liked Decarnin's aesthetic, he wanted to orient the label towards the finer aspects of French couture. At the time of his appointment, Rousteing was a relatively unknown designer, and brought a much-needed fresh take on the brand's aesthetic that remains to this day. He has been credited with adding an Asian influence to the clothing, as Asia comprises a huge part of the brand's buyers.[8] Rousteing says his age, initial anonymity, and especially race led to grumblings amongst the fashion establishment.[4] "People were like, 'Oh my God, he's a minority taking over a French house!'" Rousteing told Out magazine in 2015.[4]

Since his arrival, menswear now accounts for 40 percent of Balmain's revenue.[4][9] While the company did not release figures, it was estimated that Balmain's revenue increased 15 to 20 percent between 2012 and 2015.[4] Rousteing opened a Balmain store in London, Balmain's first stand-alone boutique outside of Paris.[9] A New York City store opened in SoHo in April 2016.[10] Other stores are in the planning stage.[9]

With the help of celebrity friends like Kim Kardashian, Kelly Rowland, Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, Björk, Beyoncé, Justin Bieber, Nicki Minaj, Chris Brown, EMFAM and various models, including those from Victoria's Secret, Rousteing helped Balmain become the first French label to surpass one million followers on Instagram.[9][11]

In 2022, Rousteing signed with the Creative Artists Agency "to explore new business-building opportunities in entertainment and popular culture that are complementary to his role as Balmain creative director."[12]

Other activities

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Rousteing designed the costumes for the opera, Renaissance – a 27-minute ballet with 22 dancers,[13] which was choreographed by Sébastien Bertaud and opened at Opéra de Paris on 13 June 2017.[14]

Personal life

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Rousteing was adopted and is gay.[15] Though he had previously believed he was mixed race because of his skin colour, in 2019, he discovered that he is fully African, with a Somali birth mother and an Ethiopian birth father.[16] The 2019 documentary Wonder Boy, written and directed by Anissa Bonnefont, examines his professional career and his search for his biological mother, who was aged 15 when she had him.

References

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  1. ^ "#AtHome with Olivier Rousteing: A look at his favorite Balmain Collections (Ep 1) #BalmainEnsemble". Balmain. 2 April 2020. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  2. ^ "Drive Defined with Olivier Rousteing". Porsche. 16 March 2021. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  3. ^ Inside Balmain Designer Olivier Rousteing's Home Filled With Wonderful Objects | Vogue, 13 October 2022, retrieved 25 January 2023
  4. ^ a b c d e f Van Meter, William (2 April 2015). "Olivier Rousteing: A Self(ie)-Made Man". Out. LPI Media. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
  5. ^ a b "Olivier Rousteing". Vogue France. Archived from the original on 26 June 2018. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  6. ^ Voight, Rebecca (26 April 2011). "Olivier Rousteing Named New Designer at Balmain". The New York Times.
  7. ^ "Olivier Rousteing". Vogue France. 29 June 2012. Archived from the original on 11 March 2013.
  8. ^ admin. "Exclusive Interview with Balmain's Olivier Rousteing." The D'Vine. Accessed 26 January 2014. http://www.the-dvine.com/2012/11/exclusive-interview-with-balmains-olivier-rousteing/.
  9. ^ a b c d Schneier, Matthew (29 June 2015). "Olivier Rousteing Puts Balmain Men's Wear on the Runway". The New York Times. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
  10. ^ "Balmain Has Officially Opened Its NYC Flagship Store". PAPER. 5 April 2016.
  11. ^ Vingan, Alyssa (3 April 2015). "Balmain's Olivier Rousteing Opens Up About Industry Racism and Instagram in 'Out'". Fashionista. Breaking Media, Inc. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
  12. ^ Ryma Chikhoune (27 April 2022), EXCLUSIVE: Olivier Rousteing Signs With CAA Women's Wear Daily.
  13. ^ Crisell, Hattie (7 June 2017). "Balmain's Ballet: First Look At Olivier Rousteing's Designs For The Paris Opéra". Vogue UK. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  14. ^ "Bertaud / Bouché / Paul / Valastro - Ballet - Season 16/17 Programming". Opéra national de Paris. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  15. ^ Weir, Laura. "Olivier Rousteing's Childhood Memories". Vogue UK. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  16. ^ Friedman, Vanessa (25 September 2019). "The Truth About Olivier Rousteing". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
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