In recent years, Olivier Rousteing has made his love of music clear across Balmain campaigns. Rihanna was his spring/summer 14 star while Kanye stopped by for spring/summer 15 and fall 16. This year he’s left the musicians behind, but kept the sonic themes.
For the Steven Klein-shot spring/summer 17 images, the label headed out to a deserted California highway with Doutzen Kroes, Isabeli Fontana, Gabriel Aubry, Jon Kortajarena, and 80s throwback favorite Tony Ward. Not that the designer, photographer, and creative director Pascal Dangin were chasing a golden, west coast feeling. Rather, they wanted the shoot to feel “stripped back to the essential” to reflect the energy of the collection. “We may have shot this campaign on an early winter morning on an out-of-the-way highway in California — but for Steven, Pascal and me, it was important that these powerful images not be easily defined by a place, an hour or a season,” the designer commented.
Alongside the gaggle of model stars were megaphones and speakers, because for Olivier “music is simply inseparable from fashion” for the current generation. We can’t help but wonder about the playlist Oliver was blasting on the day.
Credits
Text Wendy Syfret
Images via @balmain