PFW SS22: Balmain holds benefit festival to present its new collection
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Now in its second edition, French luxury house Balmain hosted its Balmain Festival in line with this season’s Paris Fashion Week, presenting a new collection as part of the wide-scale, two-night spectacle.
The festival, located at The Seine Musicale music venue in the heart of Paris, brought together music, fashion and food in the form of a ‘festival village’. Booths stocked limited edition products, as well as food and drinks supplied by French chefs. The presentation, which last night consisted of a concert-like atmosphere, will be the setting for tonight’s summer 2022 collection reveal, by the Maison’s creative director Olivier Rousteing.
Tickets to the event were offered through a free distribution system as part of Rousteing’s mission to democratise fashion. However, in partnership with AIDS charity (RED) and the Global Fund, 1,200 tickets were offered to those making a 15 euro donation to the nonprofit and in return received two tickets to the event.
“I am asked quite often why music is so important in my collections,” said Rousteing, in a statement. “I usually reply that it’s just a reflection of how I grew up, as the two were tightly intertwined during my youth. I can’t imagine one art without helping another. And that’s why every step my team and I take in developing our collections - from the first designs to the final filming of the campaign - is always accompanied by an inspiring soundtrack.”
Over the course of the event, Rousteing expected to host up to 3,400 guests on the runway, a considerable margin more than that of the 1,500 tickets available for the 2019 show. He said on the guestlist: “Reflecting our commitment to democratising and modernising the fashion world, we plan to more than double the number of members of our Balmain army, who will participate in the [current] Balmain Festival.”
Closing tonight, in what is supposed to be the main finale, Rousteing is set to unveil the new summer collection alongside a number of special guest performers.