Creative Director Olivier Rousteing has left Balmain, the Paris-based house announced Tuesday, bringing an end to the French deisgner’s 14-year-tenure at the house.
Rousteing took up his position as Creative Director of the fashion house in April 2011 and staged a series of critically acclaimed collections and shows years, where “his vision and creative genius propelled Balmain to unprecedented heights,” the house said in a release.
Rousteing has left Balmain after 14 years as creative director – Francesca Beltran
“I am deeply proud of everything I have accomplished, and infinitely grateful to my exceptional team at Balmain, my chosen family, in a place that has been my home for the past 14 years. I thank Mr. Rachid and Matteo for their unwavering trust and for offering me this extraordinary opportunity. As I look ahead to the future and the next chapter of my creative journey, I will always cherish this special time,” said Rousteing in the release.
Known for his blend of haute couture silhouettes, rock n roll attitude and bravura staging, Rousteing was a celebrated figure in Paris fashion.
Balmain did not name a successor to Rousteing, but added that a “new creative organization of the house will be announced at a needed moment.”
In the official statement: Mr. Rachid Mohamed Rachid, CEO of Mayhoola and Chairman of Balmain, said: “I extend my sincere thanks to Olivier Rousteing for his extraordinary contribution to Balmain. His visionary leadership has not only redefined the boundaries of fashion, but has also inspired an entire generation with his bold creativity, unwavering authenticity, and commitment to inclusivity. We are immensely proud of everything that has been achieved under his leadership and look forward to the next chapter of his journey, which he will pursue with the same passion and excellence.”
While CEO Matteo Sgarbossa, also said: “I would like to express my deep gratitude to Olivier for writing such an important chapter in the history of the House. His contribution and passion over the years will leave an indelible mark on the history of fashion.”
Born in Bordeaux to a Somalian mother and Ethiopian father, Rousteing was abandoned in an orphanage as a child, later being adopted by a bourgeois family in Bordeaux. A serious student, Rousteing studied at Esmod art college in Bordeaux, before moving to Florence, where he joined Robert Cavalli in the design studio.
In 2009, he began working at Balmain as director of the women’s wear design studio under Christophe Decarnin. By 2011, he had succeeded Decarnin, introducing a sexy rock and roll attitude and razor sharp tailoring – going on to dress stars like Kim Kardashian, Beyoncé, Rihanna and Jennifer Lopez. He also created costumes for the Opera national in Paris; staged a solo haute couture show for the brand and in 2022 presented a much-admired collection as a guest designer for the house of Jean-Paul Gaultier.
The house of Balmain was founded in 1945 by Pierre Balmain, embodying from the beginning an innovative look, the “New French Style.”
Alongside its ready-to-wear and accessory collections for women and men, the house appeals to an international audience with Balmain Beauty, inspired by the brand’s iconic fragrances from the 1940s and 1950s, as well as its iconic eyewear.
Balmain is controlled by Mayhoola, a luxury holding company owned by the Qatari royal family that also owns Valentino in Rome.
Next has won the bidding race to take over the Russell & Bromley premium footwear business, ending almost a century-and-a-half of family ownership.
Russell & Bromley
Working with bidding partner and stock clearance specialist Retail Realisation, it’s set to takeover the 147-year-old retailer under a pre-pack administration deal.
Crucially, it means 33 of the company’s standalone stores/outlets and nine concessions (many of them in Fenwicks branches) are likely to eventually close.
The extent of the challenges Russell & Bromley faced can be seen from the fact that this is only a £2.5 million cash deal. Next is also paying £1.3 million for some of the retailer’s current stock with Retail Realisation handling the clearance of the rest.
Assuming the deal gets court approval on Wednesday afternoon, Next will own the intellectual property and just three of the stores.
Those stores are in London’s Chelsea and Mayfair, as well as the Bluewater shopping centre in Kent. Interestingly, that Bluewater store is just a stone’s throw away from the former House of Fraser branch that this year will reopen as a Next megastore.
The remaining stores and concessions will continue to trade for “as long as [they] can” as Interpath’s Will Wright and Chris Pole “assess options for them”. Russell & Bromley currently has around 440 employees.
A source close to another bidder, Auralis, told The Times it was disappointing that its offer, which aimed to safeguard jobs and stores, wasn’t given greater priority by those running the sale.
Russell & Bromley CEO Andrew Bromley called the sale decision a “difficult” one but insisted it’s “the best route to secure the future for the brand… we would like to thank our staff, suppliers, partners and customers for their support throughout our history”.
So what are Next’s plans now. That’s not clear. There had been a lot of attention focused on its likelihood of closing the store chain in the run-up to the sale but on Wednesday, Next said that it will “build on the legacy” of the business and “provide the operational stability and expertise to support Russell & Bromley’s next chapter”.
Next had also been reported to be eyeing a similar deal for LK Bennett, but Sky News reported that it has stepped away from this.
It remains one of the most acquisitive retailers on the UK high street, however, and in recent years has bought brands such as Cath Kidston, Joules, FatFace, Made and Seraphine. It also has deals to handle other key brands in the UK market such as Gap, Victoria’s Secret and Laura Ashley.
Global asset management firm GoldenTree will buy a chunk of a $1 billion bankruptcy financing for luxury retailer Saks Global, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.
A Neiman Marcus store, part of the Saks business – Neiman Marcus
GoldenTree, which is founded by billionaire Steve Tananbaum, has committed to buy a roughly $200 million portion of the so-called debtor-in-possession financing, according to the report.
Saks Global and GoldenTree did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.
The high-end US department store conglomerate filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on January 13, after a debt-laden takeover.
Warped, a proudly Australian menswear brand, made its debut at the recent Pitti Uomo 109, unveiling its first-ever collection for Autumn–Winter 2026/27. Warped channels a strong, functional and authentic masculinity, free of artifice: a man capable of moving with equal ease through the Australian outback or a metropolis, without ever betraying himself. This vision translates into a collection that combines ready-to-wear, streetwear and active-functional pieces, underpinned by rigorous material research, responsible production, and a strong connection to Australia’s history and identity.
Jack Cassidy Williams, right, wearing Warped alongside one of his sons
The brand is so steeped in the free-spirited, authentic ethos of Mitch “Crocodile” Dundee, a cult figure of 1980s cinema who helped shape the image abroad of the no-nonsense Australian, that even the founder- who arrived in Milan with his two sons, aged 18 and 15, already active in the company- looks like the very character created by Paul Hogan.
“Crocodile Dundee is not just a film to us; it’s a way of being in the world. It’s about a man who hunts crocodiles with his bare hands in the outback and stays true to himself even under the dazzling lights of the metropolis,” Warped founder Jack Cassidy Williams explained to FashionNetwork.com. “It’s the story of a man who enters a sophisticated system without changing who he is. Functional, direct, honest. This is who we are. We’re not here to bend to fashion’s unwritten rules, but to bring our own way of doing things: less artifice, more reality.”
Warped
“Everything in the collection is handmade by my family. We design it, select the fabrics, create the patterns, and develop everything together- my children and I- in Australia. Traditional garments with modern finishes, in terms of handle and functionality; we even offer waterproof clothing, such as GOTS-certified waterproof cotton. Then there’s denim. All the fabrics are 100% made in Italy,” Cassidy Williams continues. At the heart of the collection is extensive fabric research: 100% RWS wool; high-stretch scuba fabrics and bi-stretch wool; cotton denim with a 3D weave effect; water-repellent cottons, viscose and viscose/linen blends for suits, jackets and trousers; high-performance, ultra-comfortable fabrics; and kangaroo-leather laces- a material five times as strong as cowhide- hand-finished with raw edges and authentic details.
“The collection is, in a way, a tribute to America, because the theme is the so-called ramblin’ man, or the free man; it’s basically about my whole life,” says the Australian entrepreneur. “All those people who decided to forge their own journey, to walk the path of life without following someone else. Like Hank Williams, Jack Kerouac, Duke Ellington, Bird, Muddy Waters, Pinetop, or Woody Guthrie- men who honoured life. Nowadays it’s so difficult to be free that freedom really is a state of mind. It’s our first collection through and through; we practically finished it before boarding the plane,” Cassidy Williams laughs heartily, then slips on a floppy wide-brimmed hat, slings a kangaroo hide over his shoulder and, as he pretends to crack a whip in the air, looks even more like Mitch Dundee- all after letting us taste a kangaroo salami and crocodile snacks…
Warped
“Our family has a textile tradition of great depth- more than sixty years- so Warped also works with the best global manufacturers in the mid-luxury segment: lace from France, fabrics from Italy, and other high-quality materials sourced from factories in Turkey, Japan and Korea,” Jack Cassidy Williams continues. “These factories were chosen not for trend’s sake, but because they’re unique- each one different from the next.”
Warped’s menswear collection for Autumn–Winter 2026/27 comprises around 40 looks spanning ready-to-wear, streetwear, and active-functional pieces. Jackets, suits, trousers, shorts, shirts, and T-shirts sit alongside a street and sportswear offer that includes hoodies, joggers and technical garments, all designed to be comfortable, durable, easy to care for, and genuinely wearable day to day.
Alongside the Warped men’s line, the company presented the Golden Age Sportswear (G.A.S) label in Milan, while the Warped Woman, and G.A.S Woman’s Street collections will debut in Italy from next Spring/Summer.
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