All Images produced by Mike Sabella & Manny Katz
On October 6th, 2023, Balmain debuted their SS24 menswear collection at their famous Paris boutique, located at 44 Rue François 1er. This eye-catching collection was inspired by house founder Pierre Balmain’s experiences traveling in Asia & translated for the world of French couture, according to Balmain creative director Olivier Rousteing. In particular, Rousteing focused his attention on souvenir jackets that originate from Vietnam, South Korea, & Japan.
As soon as the models began to stroll down the hardwood floors of the boutique, the blending of cultural symbols and styles became immediately obvious. The sleek & chic satins from the elevated fashion world juxtaposed with the flashy & bold iconography of the animal kingdom embedded into the garments crafted into one-of-a-kind garments. Some animal motifs were clearly visible whereas others appeared in a more subtle context, materializing in the form of style lines. Tigers, dragons & especially swallows were embroidered, flocked & beaded in extravagant detail onto specifically targeted areas such as lapels, sleeve caps & center panels. According to Rousteing, swallows were essential in capturing the essence of Pierre Balmain in this collection because he valued swallows as a symbol of good luck.
Shades of azure blue, scarlet red, as well as metallic gold & silver were the most prominently featured hues in Balmain’s menswear show. They were paired delicately along with the classic shades of onyx & ivory to balance out the beautifully deafening nature of the existing color palette.
The silhouette of the models made their figures appear more oversized than they would normally be, with much of the attention & emphasis being drawn to the chest & neckline. Mandarin collars were the standard for many of the looks, tapering the necks of the models down to counter the already rather bulky facade designed by Rousteing. The wrists of many models were adorned with jewels & golden bracelets, while others had contrasting decorations present on their wrists designed into the look. The cohesive attention to detail in the silhouette achieved by Rousteing is commendable. This being amplified by the flowy embellishments on the otherwise rigid silhouettes of the models, Balmain has proven that birds of a feather truly do “flock” together.
Audiences at the Adobe MAX 2023 Conference were pleasantly surprised to be the first to witness Project Primrose make its very first public debut. This fully digital cocktail-style tube dress, sewn and modeled by presenter Christine Dierk, has the ability to shift between both pre-set and custom designs uploaded from Adobe products including Illustrator at the push of a button.
The dress itself is made up of thousands of paillettes woven together and tailored with the ability to reflect a design programmed to be recognized and reflected onto the garment. According to researchers, each paillette is essentially a pixel for what is essentially a wearable television screen. This fluidity in design allows limitless possibilities in apparel, accessory, and even upholstery.
Despite making such a grand entrance this year, this is not the first time the technology used to create Project Primrose has been seen in the public eye. At Adobe’s previous Adobe MAX Conference in 2022, the paillettes were introduced in the form of a handbag and a painting canvas. Updates can clearly be seen in the design, with the dress paillettes appearing more grid-like compared to the fish scale appearance of the handbag. While the technology itself has strong potential, the paillettes are still in the prototype phase and being researched.
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