It's just about time to hit the slopes, and you can do it in style thanks to a new collaboration from Balmain and French ski brand Rossignol.
The Balmain and Rossignol limited-edition collection offers a mix of equipment and clothing designs for both on and off the pistes, and it's now available at Balmain flagships across the globe, as well as via Balmain's website and select luxury fashion and ski boutiques.
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Collection highlights include après-ski boots, scarves, coats and even ski poles, each with the iconic Balmain Labyrinth print. It's a graphic, eye-catching pattern that Pierre Balmain first introduced 50 years ago, and which current Creative Director Olivier Rousteing recently revamped and reintroduced. The repeating “B” references both the founder and his house, while the interlocking “P” evokes both Pierre and Paris, the city that has been so closely intertwined with the house’s history and creations.
Balmain, a major force behind the mid-century golden age of Parisian haute couture, did not have the typical background of a couturier. He grew up far from the French capital in the small Alpine village of Saint Jean de Maurienne, which is set high amid the beautiful peaks of France’s Savoy region.
Pierre Balmain’s lifelong passion for the active lifestyle of his native region is reflected in several of his eponymous house’s most successful collections, since the sleek silhouettes of both ski and apres-ski wear were often directly incorporated into his signature “New French Style.” This history led to the unsurprising choice for Pierre Balmain to design the uniforms of the Olympic staff, after France had been selected to host the 1968 Winter Games in Grenoble.
Rousteing has long expressed a desire to highlight the house’s distinctive Alpine roots. Rossignol's respect for tradition and innovation made the fellow French brand the perfect partner.
The campaign videos and images were shot by Francesca Beltran at the Refuge de Solaise, set atop the mythical summit of Bellevarde, in Savoy’s spectacular Val d’Ise?re ski resort. Beltran captured two Rossignol athletes—the Moguls Olympic champion and three-time world champion Perrine Laffont, as well as skilled freestyler Hugo Laugier—two members of a talented new generation of French winter-sport champions, each continuing a long tradition of excellence.
Both the women's and men's collections are now on sale. See more images of the fashions below, and visit balmain.com to learn more.
Photography by: Courtesy of Balmain x Rossignol
