Ready-to-Wear
Balmain
A new ready-to-wear proposition conceived within the Balmain universe — translating the house's sensuality, precision and embellishment into a quieter, more accessible expression of prêt-à-porter.
Scope
Balmain was undergoing a defining creative shift under Christophe Decarnin — a house language built around sculpted shoulders, razor-sharp tailoring, elaborate surface work, deconstructed denim and a charged, unmistakable glamour.
The brief was to build a new ready-to-wear line from the ground up: its creative proposition, team, atelier, product language and collections. I approached it as an exercise in translation rather than dilution — preserving the confidence and sensuality of the house while introducing a quieter, more introspective register.
Collage became the starting point: a way of bringing research, silhouette, texture and body into immediate dialogue. Those studies were then pushed through 2D and 3D development — projecting textiles onto the form, exploring drape and proportion, and allowing construction to emerge from the interaction between image and body.
One of the most distinctive developments was an engineered shoulder that referenced the mainline's iconic architecture while deliberately redirecting its energy. It became a subtle study in how strength could be expressed differently — still recognisably Balmain, but with a more nuanced sense of power.
“Aimée has a signature the industry has never seen before.”