Balmain Men SS24 / Spring Summer 2024 at Paris Fashion

Inspiration of Balmain Men SS24

As we’ve noted in past collection notes, Monsieur Balmain was always very clear about how he felt about relying on inspirations from the past. As he guided this house through its first four decades, he repeatedly stressed the need for fashion to constantly evolve, often noting that unless a designer wishes to create period costumes better suited for the theater, it’s imperative that each and every collection reflect the modern needs and the distinctive tastes of each new generation. His stern dictates serve as a reminder to me and my team that we always should be searching for timelessness, never time travel. That’s why, as much as we may reference the incredible richness that the Balmain archives hold, we are even more inspired by the uniquely audacious, forward-looking and optimistic values that this house has stood for since 1945.

This collection for Balmain Men Spring Summer 2024 definitely builds upon that distinctive house attitude. Yes, it’s very clear to see that our founder’s precise Parisian tailoring and strong architectural silhouettes are key ingredients of the upcoming season—but, more than anything, my team and I build upon Monsieur Balmain’s extraordinarily open and curious mind. Pierre Balmain was passionate about travel and obsessed with discovering new lands, ideas and cultures. In particular, as his notes, interviews and autobiography make clear, he was captivated by the dynamic and youthful energy of post-war American culture.

Following the directives of his close friend Gertrude Stein, he spent a lot of time traveling across the USA, presenting his “New French Style” in all parts of the country. During those cross-country expeditions, Balmain was also busy soaking up America’s very unique outlook, which melded together influences from all parts of the globe to create a distinct culture and fashion. And many singular American styles, ideas, and references were absorbed and adapted into Balmain designs, each time he returned to Paris.

Whenever I travel to the States, I remember Pierre Balmain’s own experiences there. In recent years, I’ve been drawn to the racks of souvenir jackets inside my favorite vintage shops in Los Angeles and New York. The story behind that distinctive style completely fascinates me. It is a history of servicemen returning to their hometowns with traditional American bomber jackets transformed by the sheen of silk and the rich iconography of Japan, Korea and Vietnam—and, then, later, that same look was eventually embraced by rock legends and rebels, all across the world. The singular, eye-catching style and its remarkable history of mixes, adaptations and transformations seem to epitomize much of what Pierre Balmain believed set apart the American mindset.

For Balmain Men Spring Summer 2024, we’ve riffed on the iconic souvenir, updating it for today and adding a host of new ingredients to the blend, including the precise Parisian tailoring of Pierre Balmain’s earliest men’s collections and some fresh takes on classic American varsity styling. In addition, just as we did with our designs for our recently shown women’s collection, we’ve opted to stress joy and hope by the repetition of one universal, beautiful symbol. Throughout the men’s offerings, you’ll spot our many spins on the unmistakable and elegant silhouette of the hirondelle (swallow). Of course, in every part of the world, swallows serve as the first announcement of spring, promising to all of those fed up with unending winters that better days do lie ahead. But, in France, we also have a very common saying: une hirondelle ne fait pas le printemps (one swallow alone does not make a spring). It’s an all-too-often-repeated cautionary warning that just because one good thing might have happened, you shouldn’t rely on that as a sure sign that your situation is about to improve. So, playing with that admonition, we’ve decided to not limit ourselves to just une hirondelle—instead, we’ve filled this offering with flocks and flocks of graceful swallows, each heralding the return of hope, joy and better days.

29 September 2023 Paris, Olivier Rousteing