Balmain Fall Winter 2022-2023 Paris Fashion Week “Fake clackers and Saint Exupery”. Review by Eleonora de Gray, Editor-in-Chief of RUNWAY MAGAZINE.

“Il est bien plus difficile de se juger soi-même que de juger autrui,” – “It is much more difficult to judge yourself – than to judge others,” – “Little Prince” Antoine de Saint Exupery.

That was the line displayed on the big screen during the show. And I’m wondering was it a punchline or pep talk of Olivier Rousteing of Balmain tonight? Well… thanks for the pep talk. That was slightly pathetic.

Olivier Rousteing in his interview claimed that he’s been hated and harassed on social media networks, and he needs protection. “Little Harassed Prince”, as Olivier Rousteing thinks of himself, crying out loud about protection. And this collection is all about it – THE PROTECTION.

“I’d say that collection I started few months ago, 5-6 months ago, is about protection… protecting myself. I started this collection by protecting myself from social media. And in meanwhile I was healing from my burns, I realized that I was scared of the judgements. And I based my collection on one sense from Antoine de Saint Exupery “Little Prince”: “It is much more difficult to judge yourself – than to judge others.” So basically I realized that sometimes we are in the new technology which I love, but at the same time this technology scares me, in the sense that everybody has a freedom of speech, which is great, but when it comes to haters or people that goes against… and bring some fears, and some hates… This is what I was scared. So this collection is about protection. And we are in this time, let’s be honest. When I started my collection 5-6 months ago I never expected what happens today. And I think the protection is really timely, safety is really timely, and all thought this week when we were finishing and retouching everything, and when we saw the news… I was like … let’s not forget we work in fashion business, which is really important, but at the same time we can’t avoid what is happening around the world, we are not living in the bobble, and so we need to take our creativity to express ourselves with freedom. So you’ll see a lots of delicate fabrics from lace, from jerseys, silk, satin, lots of pale colors, that shows vulnerability and fragility, but still with some protection… protecting yourself…”

Interview of Olivier Rousteing of Balmain

Although strangely enough in this collection Olivier Rousteing used as primary ” fashion-wear” fencing armoire / corset. And I was wondering once again… how come, it is exactly the same theme and inspiration of the Dior Fall Winter 2022-2023 ready-to-wear collection presented just yesterday?… I was wondering… and wondering, and I was not the only one… How come Olivier Rousteing of Balmain choose exactly that?..

Olivier Rousteing of Balmain is known by PLAGIARISM since the beginning more than any other designer worldwide. He shamelessly copied Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel and his famous scuba diving jacket, Thierry Mugler dresses, Jean Paul Gaultier corset, Versace, Pierre Cardin – everything he can find in old magazines from the 1990s… Great designers themselves, like Thierry Mugler, pinned him on their instagram.

See for reference : Mirror Mirror on Runway… or what Olivier Rousteing designs for Balmain in 2020, Balmain Cruise 2021 Resort by Olivier Rousteing “Papa Copy-Catto”, Balmain Pre-Fall 2022 or Versace and Gaultier hit.

PLAGIARISM!!!! That is the only name for Olivier Rousteing of Balmain designs and his collections. This is not a hatred – this is professional analyses, expertise and…. indifference. I’d really love to ignore it, but he doesn’t let me….

Why would he thinks that someone actually hates him. People just don’t care…. Although many people, experts and buyers notice it… and noticed it tonight that collection very much resembles to the designs of Rick Owens.

PLEASE PROTECT US FROM YOUR PLAGIARISM or WHO WOULD PROTECT US FROM YOU

That is probably the punchline we should all ask to Olivier Rousteing of Balmain to use at his runway show tonight.

On ridiculous note. Olivier Rousteing organized 75th anniversary of the Maison Balmain in 2020 in small river boat, used for anniversaries of grandparents and small companies gatherings, without any success. Read the story “75 years of Balmain – “Balmain Sans Souci” on Seine” HERE. He also tried to organize Balmain festival 2-3 times, also without success. Few people posted empty halls, and streets about this event. See for reference Balmain Spring Summer 2022.

So this time, without further ado, Olivier Rousteing bought himself the “clackers”. In modern days “clacker” is a person who comes for the event and screams loudly “bravo”, faking expressively by clapping his adoration, tries to engage people to applause etc. There are agencies who can arrange a group of people, so called “clackers”, to come for the premiere of new movies (that’s what they usually used for), for any event, or runway show. There’s a certain price of course – €80 per person, or it may vary a little. The price is given by the reference from the agency I know.

So this video, first thing first, Olivier Rousteing posted on his instagram Balmain account tonight…

Strangely enough after several fiasco to engage public in his events, shows, after seeing empty spaces, and halls, Olivier Rousteing has been “showered” by public, screaming “bravo”, and “applauses”, when he came out of his car for the show tonight. Do you believe it??? I don’t. And I don’t have time to call around. But it looked like engaged “clackers” to me for €8 000….

Olivier Rousteing said that he is scared by people, who hate him, and that is why he needs a protection. Probably what he really scared of are the experts and people who simply love beautiful pieces and buy them for their collections.

Olivier Rousteing doesn’t need a protection. But who would protect us, luxury brands and designers from his invasion of plagiarism???

Probably next time he should use Shakespeare and not Exupery for quoting at the show. Playing “Little Prince” didn’t work this time, or ever…. Time to mess up with Hamlet perhaps… To be, or not to be – that is the question!!!!! But don’t forget to use protection…

See all looks Balmain Fall Winter 2022-2023