WATCH IT NOW - Balmain Spring/Summer 2019 Menswear Show

"Stop me if you’ve heard this before: music forms a key part of the Balmain DNA. I simply cannot separate music from fashion—like most of my generation, I grew up seeing the two as tightly intertwined. Over recent seasons, my team and I have been influenced by a wide range of artists and compositions—from the delicate notes of Mendelssohn to the in-your-face snarl of heavy metal—and walking down today’s runway is one more offering that was inspired by the tunes we’ve been blasting in the Balmain studio. For next spring, both the Men’s collection and the second offering of our Women’s Episode Collection build directly upon the incredible style, music and message of the artist who has been on auto-replay throughout my entire life: Michael Jackson.

For me, like for so many other kids of the nineties, Jackson’s music has always offered an uplifting celebratory message of hope and the possibility of needed changes. During the same
period that much of the fashion world focused on a vision of exclusivity for those who didn’t look like me, Jackson put forth a powerful and compelling alternative message of inclusion,
based on breaking rules and pushing boundaries, as well as a healthy dose of anger at injustices.

My love for his music has engendered a strong fascination with America and that country’s unique culture, which has always been mirrored in my moodboards, including those of this
season. But, while you may spot several takes on Jackson’s iconic wardrobe and other American signatures, what you are seeing on today’s runway is, first and foremost, a French offering. As a child, my dreams were formed by Jackson’s messages of an inclusive America. As an adult, I celebrate my own country’s advancements, values and distinctive culture—which is why this runway includes a multitude of bleu, blanc, rouge riffs on French iconic styles, while
relying on the Balmain atelier’s singular mastery of Parisian couture embellishment techniques and precision tailoring."