Olivier Rousteing leaves Balmain after 14 years

French luxury house Balmain and creative director Olivier Rousteing are parting ways, the fashion house announced on Wednesday via social media. The announcement marks the end of one of the longest tenures in recent fashion history.

“I am deeply proud of everything I have achieved, and infinitely grateful for my extraordinary team at Balmain, my chosen family, in a place that has been my home for the past 14 years,” said Rousteing in a statement. “My thanks go to Mr Rachid Mohamed Rachid and Matteo Sgarbossa for their unwavering trust in me and for giving me this extraordinary opportunity.”

Balmain will announce a successor to Rousteing in due course, the statement added. Regarding his own future, the designer stated that he looks forward to the next chapters of his creative journey and will always cherish this valuable time.

“I want to express my deep gratitude to Olivier for writing such an important chapter in the history of the house of Balmain,” said Balmain CEO Matteo Sgarbossa. “Olivier's contribution and passion over the past years will leave an indelible mark on the history of fashion.”

A time of change at Balmain

Olivier Rousteing joined Balmain in 2011 at the age of 25, becoming the youngest non-founding creative director to head a leading Parisian fashion house since Yves Saint Laurent at Dior in 1957. He also made history as the first Black creative director of a traditional French fashion house across all design categories, long before Virgil Abloh took over as head of Louis Vuitton Menswear in 2018.

Rousteing's departure comes at a time of upheaval at Balmain. In April, the fashion house appointed Stefano Sgarbossa as CEO. He succeeded Jean-Jacques Guével, who stepped down from his post in March after four years. At the time, Rachid Mohamed Rachid, chairman of Balmain, said he was confident that the new CEO's energy and global market knowledge would be crucial at this stage and that the partnership with the designer would lead to a successful chapter in the house's history.

Now, however, the 80-year-old fashion house is beginning a new chapter without Rousteing, despite continuous growth under his creative leadership. According to fashion magazine Vogue, Balmain achieved sales of 30.4 million euro and a profit of 3.1 million euro in 2012, its first full year under Rousteing. Last year, sales were estimated at around 300 million euro.

Editor's note: This article was updated on 5 November at 3:58 p.m. (CET)