Who needs a press conference when you have 3.2 million followers on your Instagram account? Balmain’s designer Olivier Rousteing took to the online mobile photo-sharing service last night to announce his upcoming collaboration with Nike Sportswear. Despite being on the receiving end of some very mixed reviews from critics, it’s undeniable that he has a strong presence in the world of fashion and is now one of the most recognised personalities around, thanks to his super active social media account.
Rousteing began his journey working at Roberto Cavalli, where he eventually became the creative director for the label’s women’s ready-to-wear collection. He moved on to Balmain in 2009 and worked closely with the French fashion house’s former creative director, Christophe Decarnin, before replacing him in 2011.
He was 24 years old at the time and was not very recognised. But since then, Rousteing worked to his strengths and brought to the table a fresh take on the brand’s aesthetic. He also welcomed the world to delve deeper into what goes on behind the scenes in the fashion house; a move that other labels were very reluctant make with their own respective houses.
The spotlight quickly turned to the young designer and the French fashion house after celebrity friends like the Kardashians, Rihanna, Beyoncé, models from Victoria Secret and more, started posting selfies in their Balmain outfits on Instagram. This pushed the brand to become the first French label to pass the one-million-follower mark on Instagram.
He made the announcement on Instagram in a very classy fashion – three separate posts that saw a gold OR or Nike logo on a black background and a caption that reads, “ARE YOU READY?” He won’t be the first high fashion designer to be invited by the Swoosh – Givenchy’s Riccardo Tisci had his hands busy and ended up designing some sick Air Force 1s back in 2014, and another collection earlier this year. While it’s unclear whether Rousteing will be working on just sneakers or creating an entire collection, we’re pretty confident that he’ll be bringing his signature style and lots of black and gold to Nike.
We’ll just have to wait and see.
