The Fashion House of Balmain has recently announced the appointment of Olivier Rousteing as its new designer. Balmain’s website states: Mr. Rousteing will supervise the design and development of the brand’s men’s and women’s ready-to-wear collections. For those of you who don’t realize what a historic mark this is, let me just say that some color has been added to this fashion house.
Olivier Rousteing is of a biracial background. He was born in France, placed in an orphanage and later adopted by a family that raised him in the Bordeaux region of France. And even though he doesn’t know the exact origins of his birth parents, he identifies himself as a person of a mixed race, having a black and white racial background. This is significant in a country where the growth of racial diversity has caused anxiety over the ever-changing definition of French identity. Much of this anxiety has caused violent protests over the past few years. This is why Rousteing’s appointment is significant, it shows that progress is in the making. He himself is an example of the generational changes taking place in French society.
Many people of color are accomplished members of the French ateliers and produce skilled handiwork that is the hallmark of couture. But having a young biracial man of color being appointed as the caretaker of an historic French brand that was established by Pierre Balmain in 1945, is not only a rarity, but a pivotal moment in fashion history and French history. As they say, ‘history repeats itself’, and it seems as if we may be re-embarking on an era of when people of color such as Alexandre Dumas with his literary genius, the Creoles of color and African-Americans during the 19th and 20th century who brought both skilled artisan work, literary contributions and musical staples to a country that prides itself on being the most refined and romantic place of all, will again be openly accepted and grandly appreciated.
Whether or not the Balmain fashion house will thrive under the direction of Rousteing is yet to be seen (I faithfully believe that it will), it has already thrived in future history books of fashion once again.