The new love babies of Balmain
I have two great loves after living in Paris for seven years: French cuisine and fashion. And particularly French fashion. You often come across articles on our site about how we dream of having that ‘je ne sais quoi’ of the Parisiennes. And recently, there is a way to add exactly that to your wardrobe. The man with an extraordinary amount of talent and more hours in a day than all of us combined. Olivier Rousteing has created something brilliant again: a glasses collection from Balmain together with his team.
Part of his team is spokesperson Maï Dao-Vuz, with whom I had the pleasure of chatting last week about their new glasses collection that was launched last week in all Specsavers shops across the country. A collection of a total of 15 frames that each exude exclusivity but also ‘retain simplicity and a daily wearable look‘, as Maï describes it.
Tell me, how does such a process work exactly and how long does it take?
‘It can take about a year, I would say. You have to deal with approval procedures, so designs can be sent back and forth many times before they are approved. Sometimes it’s very small details that need to be perfect. So with a brand like this, you’re at it for at least a year.‘
How many people are involved in designing a collection of fifteen pieces and to what extent is Olivier himself part of the design process?
”It actually all starts with Olivier, the creative director of Balmain. He is responsible for the inspiration. You have to see it this way: Olivier is really at the top of the pyramid with the design teams for clothing, fragrances, and of course this glasses collection below him. The Balmain team is therefore incredibly large, but he is very involved in all processes.”
What is the look you wanted to achieve?
‘We work with mood boards and in terms of design, Balmain always focuses on geometry and architectural designs – think of the infamous rectangular shoulders that you often see in the clothing. Balmain exudes power and femininity, and we wanted to showcase that with this collection as well. We also stayed as close to the brand as possible, which is why you see that only gold – the signature color of Balmain – was used instead of silver.‘
With clothing, you have the option to work with different materials, but with glasses, that is much less. Was it difficult to translate the designs of the fashion house into a glasses collection?
‘You indeed have a lot of possibilities with clothing, and everything we show on the runway is handmade. A show with just clothing is hard work, but everyone works with so much passion, and that applies to the glasses as well. We have translated certain Balmain signature looks – like the famous belt – into small details in the glasses, but then with a minimum of materials. You also have to consider that glasses are something you wear all day long, so it must also remain ‘wearable’. It shouldn’t be too much, but it must be a pair of glasses with the Balmain edge and feeling.”
Describe the woman who wears a frame from this collection.
‘The first women that often come to mind are Olivier's ‘Balmain Army‘ (Jourdan Dunn, Kendall Jenner, Binx Walton, Amanda Wellsh, Christa Cober). Strong women in general, confident and very trendy. They are more than just beautiful; I think that’s important to remember.’
If you also want to add a touch of Balmain to your wardrobe; the collection is here available and can be viewed in the Specsavers stores. And I promise you: there is something for everyone.
