Balmain announces a new partnership with Cher to introduce the house’s newest luxury design, The Balmain Blaze.
Balmain's new Blaze collection of luxury leather bags mirrors the house’s singular trail-blazing superpower. Since its earliest days, Balmain has been intent on boldly forging its own exceptional way forward. Founder Pierre Balmain set the tone from day one—audaciously founding his own house during the uncertain days immediately following Paris’ liberation, determined to introduce his game-changing vision of a fresh and feminine “New French Style” to the world of couture.
Olivier Rousteing
Over the past decade, Balmain’s current creative director, Olivier Rousteing, has clearly fortified that special spearheading superpower that sets Balmain apart—opening up his runways to thousands, partnering with music’s biggest talents, connecting in a direct and authentic manner with house followers—while always ensuring that each door he’s pushed through is left wide and open behind him, for all of those who might want to follow in his path.
Riffing on the protective armor associated with trailblazing superheroes, the Balmain Blaze collection relies on a dramatic silhouette, impressive exposed hardware, strong juxtapositions of colors and textures, and an overall modern-Baroque spirit. The energetic force of the designs is underlined by the collection’s many couture-inspired embellishments and an abundance of very visible, gleaming hardware, helping to ensure Rousteing’s goal of creating a uniquely powerful and eye-catching accessory.
More than anything else, I wanted the Blaze to be a bag that was definitely going to be noticed. As I explained to my team, I imagined these bags as being key components of the boldest entrances. For me, these designs evoke the impressive shields carried by the fearless superheroes of my youth—and I really love the idea of our Balmain Blaze adding an empowering sensation of invincibility as the perfect final touch for every ensemble.
Obviously, Cher’s history of successes, records, awards, activism and culturally defining moments makes it clear that she perfectly embodies the term trailblazer. She’s been a daring pioneer for six decades, never slowing down and always pulling us along with her, as she marches forward. She may have been crowned as the ‘Goddess of Pop,’ but she’s shown us that she can rule every possible musical genre—from folk to stadium rock—while somehow managing to move us to tears in her dramatic roles and, when she opts for comedy, making us laugh like nobody else can. ‘Style Icon’ doesn’t come close to describing her achievement of defining more than a half-century’s worth of fashion’s trends. And, in this challenging era, when we are compelled to fight for long-overdue changes, Cher’s impressive, long-term commitment to dedicated activism is definitely an example to all of us.
Blaze Campaign
Focusing on Cher’s impressive powers, the video for the Blaze campaign reimagines the Goddess of Pop as a futuristic goddess, perched high atop her throne. Dressed in the same sleek and shimmering Balmain catsuit that she recently premiered on the house’s Paris Fashion Week runway, Cher presents the new Blaze, along with one very fundamental truth: “All of us invent ourselves—some of us just have more imagination than others.”