Olivier Rousteing, Balmain’s protégé

At not even 25 years of age, Olivier Rousteing has become the youngest designer at the head of a top French fashion house.

By Sophie Serrat

Olivier Rousteing
Olivier Rousteing

His career in fashion has been explosive. After abandoning the Esmod school after one year, he entered the Roberto Cavalli house at 18. Five years later, he started with Balmain as head of the design studio for women’s readyto-wear. with his level-headedness and team spirit, he succeeded Christophe Decarnin in 2011 as artistic director for the house founded by Pierre Balmain.

With only four collections behind him, the child protégé of fashion has revisited the oversized design and accessories of the 1980s. His Baroque n’Roll style of 2012 was much talked about in the fashion world.