Leader of Balmain’s Army: Olivier Rousteing (and Rihanna).

 

Rihanna, Kim Kardashian West, Kendall Jenner, Cara Delevingne Rosie Huntington Whiteley, Naomi Campbell, Iman, Alessandra Ambrosio, Karlie Kloss, Nicki Minaj, Gigi Hadid, Joan Smalls, Miley Cyrus, Gisele Bundchen, Chanel Iman, Selena Gomez, Kanye West,…. the list goes ON & ON … BALMAIN’s Army is taking over the fashion world one catwalk & selfie at a time, courtesy of, Olivier Rousteing. The 28 year old creative director has turned the Paris Fashion house into a POWER house.

Rousteing’s unconventional ways are reigning the industry, especially due to the impact of celebs/supermodels/musicians. “When you look at the fashion brands, how many followers do they have? Balmain has 1.1 million. It’s like 10 per cent of what those girls have. It shows you the power of the personality more than the power of the entire brand.”

The Bourdeaux-born babe (for real those cheek bones…) talks to Telegraph.co.uk about design, his muses & more, he says, “Celebrity is more important today than it used to be. It gives access to so many different people. For me it’s the new high-street window. You can actually be part of the dream. It’s not only available to 10 people on the front row – it’s a way of communication that’s inclusive, and there’s something generous about that.”

On his main muse BadGalRiRi: “There’s no doubt about it. She has this aura, this charisma. It’s not only sexual. It’s something else. She is like a new Grace Kelly, or a Madonna… This woman of the world who represents a new world.” Adding,”No, if you mean, ‘Do I have someone in my life?’ No, I don’t. Just work and Rihanna.But that’s enough. That’s a lot!”

On women & fashion: “Fashion had started to forget women in a way, and concentrate too much on the clothes. For me it made no sense. In fashion the biggest moment was when the models were celebrities – we all remember Naomi, Claudia, Carla, Linda. The woman had to come back; the curved woman, and different kinds of body shapes. I don’t like skinny girls. I want to represent a real woman, not just a shadow or a ghost.”

On diversity on the runway: “The mixety [sic] of my castings is one of the most important things about the show,” Rousteing says. “Sometimes I feel like some designers just focus on the clothes. Obviously it’s a business, but when you do a show you want to be modern – it’s not only about trying to find the fabric that no one else uses. Being modern means having a view or a vision of what the world is today. I want to show a vision of my world, what I see and what I want to see in the future.”

On the founder of the French fashion house, Pierre Balmain: “I keep Pierre Balmain in my mind because he loved strong women, women who have something to say. All the French designers – Balmain, Poiret, Dior, Balenciaga – they believed in strong women. Their mothers were really important. In France fashion has always been connected to the role of the woman. I keep in my mind the rules of French fashion.”

We have to say – we’re inlove with Balmain & Olivier’s vision. Thoughts?

#2015YearOfTheDunn — Jourdan Dunn Covers British Vogue.

Supermodel / Mother / Muse / & more JOURDAN DUNN continues her reign over the fashion world — Dunn stuns in a piece from PRADA’s Spring Collection for the February issue of British VOGUE // shot by renowned photographer, Patrick Demarchelier.

Dunn becomes the first solo black model to cover British Vogue in 12 years, since model icon Naomi Campbell covered VOGUE UK in 2002.

Over the weekend Jourdan instagramed her cover along with the caption: “I’m so Happy to finally say I’M ON THE COVER OF BRITISH VOGUE!!! Thank you @britishvogue, Patrick Demarchelier and Kate Phelan for making this happen and also thank you all for the Love and Support it means everything to #2015YearOfTheDunn,”

In the issue the face of Maybelline talks racism in the fashion industry & being a model mom.

“It’s hard being a model regardless, and then being a black model. I have heard, ‘Oh, we haven’t shown any black models this season.’ So blasé… It’s messed up,” she says. “I get uncomfortable when I read comments saying, ‘I wanna look like you, I wish I had your body.’ When I was growing up I didn’t love myself, or like what I saw in the mirror. Curves are celebrated in Caribbean culture, so I felt the odd one out. So my message is: be happy and love yourself.”

On son Riley: “I love that one day I am doing this and then I go home to my reality: getting Riley ready for school, doing his reading with him, taking him to the park,” she tells Emily Sheffield in the February issue of Vogue. “For some in this industry their life is their work. The other girls didn’t understand in the beginning why I didn’t want to go out all the time.”

On motherhood & her mother: “They are so close I was kind of jealous of their relationship in the beginning,” she reveals. “But it works for me. You can find the balance being a working mother, but I couldn’t do it without my mum. She is the one who allowed me to go and do my thing.”

Dunn recently walked in the iconic VS FASHION show this year in London & now stars alongside Naomi Campbell in the new Burberry Spring/Summer 2015 ad campaign photographed by Mario Testino.

“Burberry is such an iconic brand and I feel very proud to be a part of their campaign and their team. This campaign is even more special for me because I was shot with Naomi Campbell for the first time – someone who I admire and respect within the fashion industry.” –Dunn told VOGUE. 

Naomi Campbell: From Supermodel to SuperPowers.

Naomi Campbell. One of the fiercest QUEENS in the modeling/fashion industry – true runway royalty, she continues to look utterly fabulous, model-esque, and bad-a**.

For her latest killer editorial, she poses for Net-A-Porter’s ‘The EDIT’. Naomi looks flawless in the crème de la crème of designer pieces, from a ‘Jackie-O-inspired pink Burberry coat, to an Inez & Vinoodh necklace, a La Perla night slip, and looks from Lanvin, The Row, Givenchy, Alaïa, a chic Michael Kors trench & more – impeccably styled by Maya Zepnic.

Campbell chatted with Harriet Quick about ebola, fears of the catwalk & her close fashion-family.

On her extended fashion family: “It’s a family within a family. I definitely spent more time around them than around my own blood family as I was traveling and working so much. Azzedine [Alaïa] is more like a papa; Gianni [Versace] was more like a brother.”

She continues, of her ‘2nd family’, “If people are down, you help them up. If we are in the same town at the same time, we always have dinner. Or if I’m doing an event, my homies are coming!”

On John Galliano as Maison Martin Margiela’s new creative director: “I’m so happy for him. He’s been in a brilliant place for years, inside and out. John centers me; we giggle like children. I never want to lose the child in myself. It doesn’t matter where [Galliano] goes, what he does – you can’t take away from his talent and what he can do.”

Campbell confesses she still gets a little jittery before hitting the catwalk: “I still get scared. I cross myself before I go onto the runway. I pray my dress isn’t going to fall off.”

On Ebola & her efforts to alleviate the health-threat: “The next time I travel, I will have a mask, latex gloves, bleach and sprays. I travel so much you have to do whatever you have to do to make yourself feel safe until we are told otherwise.”

Naomi teamed up with Whoopi Goldberg, Alicia Keys & Idris Elba to launch the #CrushEbolaNOW campaign, ‘which aims to educate and raise funds to help fight the spread of the deadly virus. In February 2015, to coincide with fashion month, the model will be staging Fashion For Relief shows in New York and London in aid of the Ebola Survival Fund.’ (The Edit). 

The supermodel continues her super-powers through her Fashion For Relief platform (launched in 2005), which has raised millions & millions of dollars for severe causes from the earthquake in Haiti to Hurricane Katrina. She pays homage to world leader, Nelson Mandela, as he inspired her to user her fame for greater awareness, she says, “[Nelson] Mandela always said to me, ‘Use yourself to help other people.’ I feel that now more strongly than ever before and I try to do that in the best way I can.” 

We can’t get over how stunning this MODELPRENEUR looks – LOVE this editorial.

Photographs by NICO // Styled by MAYA ZEPINIC.

 

Phresh out the RUNWAY.

Fall fashion fierceness: Rihanna, Iman & Naomi Campbell pose in Balmain (by Olivier Rousteing) for W Magazine’s September issue.

The Balmain Army of ICONS are absolutely stunning photographed by Emma Summerton. The top fashion brand’s creative director, Olivier Rousteing, became one of the youngest talents to hold such a high position in a power-fashion house. The idea behind the editorial shoot was to embrace racial diversity – both within Balmain & the entire fashion//modeling industry.

Rousteing says,“These women are inspiring to so many different people. Bringing them together represents the concept I’m working toward.”

Our homegirl//style icon, RiRi is featured on the cover of WMag titled ‘Eskimo Horror Story‘ – she evokes drama, fierceness, & beauty. We’re absolutley loving this issue and can’t wait to get out hands on it.

 

 

 

The O.G. Model Icons.

Aight – Vogue Japan is clearly going to be reigning over all the fashion bibles with their kick-a** cover featuring not just 1 but numerous O.G. Model ICONS & ModelPRENEURS.

For it’s 15th anniversary issue Claudia Schiffer, Nadja Auermann, Stephanie Seymour, Linda Evangelista & Naomi Campbell rule the cover while the entire foldout features tops 90s & 2000s models; Carolyn Murphy, Eva Herzigova, Guinevere Van Seenus, Maggie Rizer, Saskia de Brauw, Tao Okamoto, Malgosia Bela, Mariacarla Boscono & Natasha Poly.

For real – they really are the perfect icons – the editorial & cover shot were photographed by Luigi & Iango with styling from Giovanna Battaglia.