The story of Balmain

Balmain is one of the oldest fashion houses and has not lost its relevance. Pierre Balmain, the founder of the brand, attracted the attention of French women in 1945 with his luxuriously feminine collections. Hand embroidery, tapered waists and loose-fitting blouses made the post-war public smile.

Start

Pierre was lucky enough to be born to fabric traders, and from childhood he absorbed dreams of creating unique outfits from a variety of materials. A graduate of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris, he finds himself working for fashion designer Lucien Lelong, where he meets Hubert de Givenchy and Christian Dior.

Balmain’s first collection won over the critics with its exquisite cuts of green, brown, red and lavender with puffed skirts and no straps. This brought excitement to the French capital, which had not yet recovered from the Nazi occupation.

Since the death of Pierre Balmain, Oscar de la Renta, Christopher Decarnin and Olivier Rousteing took over in 2011. Each creative director brought a different vision to Balmain’s products.

Individual collections are interspersed with Balmain’s joint creations with H&M. 

As before, the designs are jewel-encrusted and hand-embroidered. The fashion house has teamed up with Beats by Dre to create a line of wireless headphones and to symbolise the union between music and fashion.

Balmain shoes

The French fashion house’s footwear is as elegant as their outfits. The shoe range includes high heels, low heels, ankle boots, sandals and trainers for men and women. Some designs have been reworked to create casual shoes for women and rugged, military-inspired shoes for men.

Balmain perfume

Pierre Balmain believed that the perfect complement to any outfit is the right scent. The debut perfume with an elegant jasmine sound bore the name of its creator’s telephone number: Elysées 64-83. The next was Jolie Madame. If you wish, you can still find some iconic fragrances today, such as the springtime Vent Vert or the floral Ivoire. Today’s perfume line is complemented by women’s Extatic and men’s: Carbone de Balmaine, BalMan, Balmain Homme, Ebene, Monsieur.

Balmain Watches

A collection of the prestigious French house would not be complete without exquisite accessories. In the 1980s the brand began designing exclusive watches with the help of Switzerland’s Swatch Group LTD, which subsequently bought the right to manufacture and sell watches under the Balmain brand itself. This was immediately followed by the creation of the Elysées collection, a tribute to the eminent designer.

The new century brought a modern twist with the creation of a watch with an integrated mirror. A limited edition collection was launched in 2005 with Miss Lorian Guilléron of Switzerland. As conceived by Balmain, the vast majority of the accessories are designed for the beautiful half of humanity. The Balmain fashion house is proud to bear the name of its founder, continuing to adhere to the established traditions, keeping up with the times.