Celebrating Olivier Rousteing‘s 10 years with the label, Balmain hosted Music Festival V02, an event that took place in Paris on September 28- 29, 2021 as part of Paris Fashion Week. The food, music and fashion event was open to the public on days one and was invite only on the 29th when Balmain presented its spring 2022 runway presentation.
Balmain’s spring 2022 runway event concluded with a round up Balmain’s most iconic designs over the past 10 years. The presentation was highlighted by an audio message from Beyoncé [Knowles-Carter] who celebrated the 35-year-old designer with a heart-warming message in which she recalled meeting Rousteing him when he first landed the role of head creative at the label. She went on to praise him for his bravery as Balmain’s first Black designer.
Commenting on the many times she’s worn Balmain looks over the years, she highlighted the costumes Rousteing designed for her Coachella 2019 performance. “At Coachella we showed the world what’s possible when two perfectionist get together,” she noted and added with a chuckle, “Yes, let’s remember, we are both Virgos.”
Naomi Campbell opened the commemorative collection followed by ’90s-era supers Milla Jovovich, Karen Elson, and Carla Bruni, plus very of-the-moment models Adut Akech, Precious Lee, Imaan Hammam, Natalia Vodianova, and Soo-Joo Park.
Prior to the show, Rousteing revealed the collection had been inspired in part by an accident he suffered a year ago. In a written note, he revealed, “I suffered some painful burns in an accident. Hospital rooms, bandages, and gauze wraps suddenly became a big part of my life, and as I began sketching, I found myself translating those months of doctors and physical therapy into today’s many bands, weaves, and dangling straps.”
The letter concluded, pledged. “Here’s to the next decade of sharing our joy-filled signature mix of fashion and music with more and more of those who wish to enter into the Balmain universe.”
Following the runway event, Doja Cat (real name Amala Dlamini) took to the stage and performed five songs. Sporting an adorable mop of curls and a Balmain short and bra set, Doja ran a medley featuring “Rules,” “Need to Know,” “Say So” and “Kiss Me More.” For the first time, she also performed “Options” from Planet Her, a now platinum album released
Check out a round up of clips of Doja performing below.
