Balmain marks its 80th anniversary as Olivier Rousteing presents in Paris a seaside-inspired collection, both refreshing and timeless.
The Balmain show in Paris proved that the viral dress Tyla wore at the Met Gala was only a glimpse of what was coming. To mark the house’s 80th anniversary, Olivier Rousteing unveiled a seaside-inspired collection where freshness and sensuality set the tone.
Dresses resembling towels wrapped after a swim, seashell tops and macramé pieces with endless fringes defined a lighter, more accessible proposal, still theatrical in spirit. Wide sarouel trousers, open-weave sweaters sliding off the shoulders, strong leather jackets and draped tops evoked a summer without rules.
The designer also revived his sand-moulded experiments, transforming them into sculptural bustiers and bras that signalled a new creative phase: less armour, more freedom. As he admitted backstage: “People always talk about the Balmain Army, but this time it is not about fighting. It is about confidence and freedom.”
The show returned to the ornate ballroom of the InterContinental Paris-Le Grand, the very place where Rousteing debuted his first Balmain collection at only 26. Now, after 14 years at the helm and as one of the longest-serving creative directors in luxury fashion, the French designer proposes a more relaxed Balmain, with a focus on timelessness.
In his own words, from a recent interview: “In fashion there are hype moments, and times when you are no longer hype. To my younger self I would say: don’t chase hype, chase timelessness. There is nothing better than staying forever.”
Balmain’s Spring 2026 was not merely a fashion show, but a statement of intent: designs meant to transcend noise, with the same permanence as the tide’s trace on sand.
