Beauty Hits the Beat With Cardi B, Anitta and Hong Joong at Balmain’s Front Row and After Party
It was all about beauty at Balmain’s runway show and after party Wednesday night, set to celebrate the brand’s new launch.
The fashion show came just ahead of the French fashion house opening its first Balmain Beauty boutique in Paris. Led by the house’s artistic director Olivier Rousteing, the brand will debut its fragrance collection there, later expanding its makeup and product range.
More from WWD
It’s all the brainchild of Rousteing, who developed the line of business for the brand — and infused it into his collection with beauty-themed beaded dresses that depicted lips, nails and eyes, as well as a sculpted bustier, which used eye shadow and powder to create a sheen, similar to the technique he used to create Tyla’s look at the Met Gala earlier this year.
Rousteing said he is placing a focus on beauty as part of his intent to grow the business overall, but also wants to create a new way of thinking for the house.
“Beauty is not only a business. Beauty is a really big side of a company where you express imagery,” he said, noting that what a brand offers at a fashion show and in beauty campaigns can often be disjointed due to licensing deals. He plans to do things differently and is working closely with the Estée Lauder Cos. Inc.
“What I really want to do with this collection, and what I’m going to do with my own fragrances and my own makeup that’s going to be launched is to make sure that it’s all aligned. Balmain is a beauty world, and it is something that feels so obvious to have,” he said.
The new category for the house will boost its bottom line, as well as grow its brand recognition he added.
With beauty, Rousteing hopes the Balmain name “becomes more international, and that’s what I’ve tried to do for the last 14 years, making Balmain grow.”
He also brought together different worlds for his front row. It was a meeting of the music minds at Balmain, with Brazilian singer Anitta sitting front row alongside K-pop star Hong Joong from Ateez.
The two were chatting about their cross-border musical influences, and Anitta declared herself a fan.
“What a superstar. I’m so honored to be beside him,” she said. The two had met a few minutes before as they took their seats. “I just went to South Korea, and we were just talking about it. And I love K-pop.”
Ateez played in Brazil earlier in the summer, and Hong Joong returned the admiration adding that he loves her music, too. Could a collaboration be in the future?
“Let’s do it,” they both agreed. But first, Ateez will continue on the next leg of their world tour, returning to Paris in early 2025.
Cardi B made a last-minute entrance with sky-high platforms and a giant green coat and was seated close to French First Lady Brigitte Macron.
Macron made sure to introduce herself and take a photo with the star after the show. “It’s such an honor to meet you, I’m very grateful,” Cardi B told Macron as they hugged and posed for pics.
Rousteing also spoke about making the runway more color-inclusive, which he has strived for since he arrived at the house, and is now working to make the runway age-inclusive. To prove his point, he had several older models walk in the show and closed it with a triumphant Paulina Porizkova in a sexy slipdress.
The accessibility of beauty products will also allow people to buy into the brand at different price points, another nod to inclusivity, he said, comparing launching beauty to his first forays into social media and the criticism he faced at the time.
“People told me that would be cheap, and this is not luxury, because I try to democratize fashion, and I got killed for it,” he said. If people are similarly questioning why he would take the brand into beauty he answered his critics: “I really believe beauty tomorrow will become such a big front of fashion.”
After last looks, Porizkova and a bevy of models turned the runway into a dance floor to the tune of Lenny Kravitz’s “Are You Gonna Go My Way” before the guests decamped to the after party at Café de l’Homme across the street — if they could make their way through the throngs of fans on hand for Hong Joong, that is.
For Rousteing, who is known to get behind the DJ turntables at his party, the night would be not only a launch for the beauty brand but a continuing celebration of the city and the summer. “I’m Parisian. I’m from France, and Paris has so much to give. And I would say the second thing is that having such a beautiful crowd. And, you know, we had the Olympic Games as well, which was celebrating France. So, me, I’m super excited about tonight,” he said.
Launch Gallery: Celebrities Front Row at Balmain Spring 2025 Ready-to-Wear Show Photos
Best of WWD
Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.