Olivier Rousteing, Paris, October 1, 2025. JULIEN DE ROSA / AFP
In a press release on Wednesday, November 5, Balmain announced that its creative director Olivier Rousteing would be leaving the post that he has held since April 2011 – an exceptionally long tenure in an industry where most designers stay less than a decade. The news was not unexpected, as rumors had been swirling since the beginning of the year.
Born in 1985, Rousteing joined the house in 2009 as head of studio design under creative director Christophe Decarnin. Two years later, after Decarnin's abrupt departure in April 2011, Rousteing took over the top position. He was just 25 years old. But six months later, during Paris Fashion Week for the spring-summer 2012 season, he proved he was up to the task.
Balmain fall-winter 2012-2013. BENOIT TESSIER / REUTERS
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