"The brand’s new imagery for Fall, lensed by Mario Sorrenti and art-directed and styled by Katie Grand, features Binx Walton, Cara Delevingne, Jourdan Dunn, Ysaunny Brito, Issa Lish, and Kayla Scott. Sporting Rousteing’s safari-inspired Fall fare, his stars nicely embody the heady, hard-edged sensuality he sent down the catwalk in February."
Olivier Roustening is not only using one but six faces for his new campaign ad.
"Rousteing was a longtime admirer of Sorrenti, too, noting that he appreciated the photographer’s particular vision of femininity. One need only glance at, say, Sorrenti’s iconic ads for Calvin Klein Obsession or his 2012 Pirelli calendar to grasp the languid sensuality that makes him a logical choice for Balmain. It’s Sorrenti’s talent for the enigmatic, however, that’s most evident here; there’s not much skin from a lensman who’s built his name on nudes. The ads themselves serve as an allegory for Rousteing’s evolving take on sex appeal. “My first show was a lot of leg, a lot of skin, and that was my vision: body-conscious dresses. But my [latest] is all about being covered up from head to toe, and that’s my new vision of sexiness,” Rousteing said. “I still think a girl can be sexy in an oversize khaki jacket or a parka, [or] black tights and a long, midi-cut skirt. I’m growing up at the same time my collections are growing.”"
"The Fall images boast models from the Dominican Republic, Great Britain, Mexico, and the U.S. As a young designer, Rousteing’s awareness is something that’s come to him with time. “My first collection was all about making clothes, and it was really, really important for me to work on the tailor[ing] and on the clothes, but I realized that day after day and step by step, I’m not only doing clothes,” he offered. “I think fashion is all about a vision that you can give to people; it’s [about] expressing that passion. We need to show how diversity is important.” The new campaign, then, is another step in that vision. As Rousteing himself tells it, “I think it’s showing a new reality—the Balmain reality.”"
