Balmain SS26: A New Era Of Barefoot Luxury

A Return to the Intercontinental Ballroom

Fourteen years after nervously stepping onto the stage as Balmain’s newly appointed creative director, Olivier Rousteing returned to the same opulent ballroom of the Intercontinental Hotel.

The space, steeped in history and grandeur, has long been outgrown by the scale of Rousteing’s ambitions. Yet tonight, it served as the perfect backdrop to make a point: evolution is not about abandoning the past, but about embracing it while pushing yourself further. “This season everybody’s talking about a new era, and new beginnings,” Rousteing remarked with the wisdom of experience. “But I believe that you can build your new era, and you make your new beginning, by being yourself in the same house and challenging yourself.” And indeed, the collection did exactly that.

From Opulence to Organic Elegance

Comparing this season with Rousteing’s debut collection is like contrasting a tightly wound symphony with a free-flowing jazz improvisation. While opulence was ever-present, it was now expressed with an organic sensibility.

Dresses, shoes, and bags shimmered with clusters of ethically sourced seashells or wooden beads that rustled with each movement, reminiscent of ocean tides rather than palace curtains.

Tassels and fringes draped generously over garments and accessories, yet without the baroque rigidity of the past.

Gone were the hyper-fitted, square-shouldered leather blazers of 2011; in their place, ’80s inspired drop-armed and action-shouldered leather blousons suggested freedom and movement, a nod to Balmain’s enduring allure but filtered through a softer lens.

The Softening of the Balmain Army

Rousteing’s famed Balmain Army, once a symbol of precision and discipline, has undergone a dramatic transformation. Military-inspired silhouettes are now draped in silk and satin, losing none of their impact but gaining an ease previously absent.

Couture elements appeared throughout the collection, yet they were imbued with a sense of unfussy naturalness.

An off-the-shoulder cashmere cotton knit sweater featured an elegantly twisted cowl, paired with a shelled skirt that spoke more of barefoot luxury than rigid craftsmanship.

Even a bodice adorned with rose crystal, showcasing the label’s technical virtuosity, emanated relaxed sophistication rather than fragility. The collection suggested a beachside couture fantasy, a world where elegance meets ease and extravagance feels effortless.

A Designer Transformed

Rousteing, who recently celebrated his 40th birthday, inhabits a very different world from the one he entered as a shy 26-year-old. He has not only matured personally but has also adapted Balmain to the rhythms of contemporary luxury. His comment, “If you want to hear from life and learn from life, you can be a new you and that’s a bit what I’m expressing through the collection this season,” could almost double as life advice for any designer trying to reconcile ambition with authenticity. Unlike many of the new, bandwidth-dominating names of the season, Rousteing has remained unapologetically himself, letting his evolution show in the clothes rather than through gimmicks or spectacle.

Conclusion: Balmain Without the Bullshit

In 2025, Balmain is no longer the tight, baroque house of Rousteing’s early days. It has grown, softened, and dared to be both lavish and approachable at the same time. The collection reveals a designer who has learned to let go of rigid structures while keeping the showmanship intact, a rare feat in an industry obsessed with reinvention. And perhaps most impressively, it is a reminder that you can be 40, established, and still make fashion feel exciting, relevant, and just a little bit cheeky—the kind of cheek that reminds you Balmain is still, after all these years, the only house that can make a seashell look like haute couture.

ALL LOOKS:

DETAILS:

BACKSTAGE:

VIDEO OF THE SHOW: