Are the Kardashians killing Balmain?
I’m going to start this article by pointing out that following is rather controversial. I know anyone with an opinion in 2016 is metaphorically tying themselves to a train track and asking the train to hurry up. But listen up kids, this is a hot topic!
Anyone who’s got their shnoze in the fashion industry or keep up with the Kardashians know that Kim and Kylie in particular have been major figureheads for fashion label, Balmain, since the rise of its French born Creative Director, Olivier Rousteing. Having been appointed Creative Director of Balmain at the young age of 24, its apparent he that this guy knows his stuff!
When I was studying at Istituto Marangoni in Paris earlier this year, we were discussing Creative Directors of Luxury Fashion Brands. We had just had a designer from Balmain come in to talk to us and she was speaking about Olivier Rousteing. When the teacher asked us which Creative Directors we knew, everyone raised their hands with Olivier on the tip of their tongues, once someone had said the name aloud, the teacher scoffed and said, “Well he is slowly killing the brand by using the Kardashians”. Ever since I heard that comment, it has stayed in the back of my mind as a very valid point.
As a young man in an industry that is now very social media heavy, Olivier is not only the masthead of an iconic brand, but he has an identity of his own, thanks to social media posts of him partying with it-girls and boys and on fabulous holidays. He has rebranded Balmain as exclusive for the young and wealthy and has enlisted the Kardashians' help as part of his 'Balmain Army' campaign.
Rousteing's rebranding has meant that Balmain, which was once high-end, unattainable fashion, now produces clothes that only youth desire, and only the wealthy, aka - shitty people using Daddy's money to buy their threads, can afford. The brand no longer appeals to hardworking 30-somethings, and this is a shame.
In my opinion, Balmain has made a huge mistake, because smaller companies are making cheap duplicates of anything that the Kardashians wear. You may disagree, but let me ask you this: have you noticed that thigh-high boots are EVERYWHERE at the moment? And can you guess who wore it first? Yup ... young Kylie. All cosmetic companies now sell matte lipstick, thanks for the idea Kylie Lip Kit. Every time a Kardashian wears a Balmain gown, skirt or shirt; there is a sneaky little Designer somewhere sketching up the item to sell in their low-priced online or train station store. Once the cheap duplicates are released, the original Balmain looks so tacky that no one would dare touch it with a ten-foot pole.
I’ve seen it happen to many brands time and time again. If the Kardashians wear something, all you have to do is take a trip to Princess Polly or Lucy in the Sky (online) and you will see cheap versions of everything, from exceedingly ripped boyfriend jeans to black chokers. Think about it, if you can get a direct copy of something for 1/1000000 of the price, why the HELL would you buy the original?
I’ll be interested to see where Balmain is in 10 years!
Kaiya X
