Image via Complex Original
The name Oliver Rousteing might not ring a bell to sneakerheads just yet, but it’s only a matter of time before the French designer is a household name. Rousteing moves fast and his work moves even faster. It should come as no surprise that Nike tapped the wunderkind to design a collaborative collection for the upcoming Summer season. In just five short years, the young creative director has lead the rebirth of French fashion house Balmain. Rousteing has brought the stately label into the 21st century through his raw talent, love of all things luxe, and passion for social media.
Rousteing has worked relentlessly to usher in the next era of Balmain—one that is as grandiose as it is youthful. The designer paid tribute to the couture house’s roots, but hasn’t let that history hold back his new ideas. All of a sudden, the opulent brand was given new relevance and was namedropped in hit songs by the likes of A$AP Rocky, Nicki Minaj, and Rae Sremmurd. The tides began to turn as the old label found a new, younger (but still affluent) audience.
It may be Rousteing’s passion for football (soccer) that is the cornerstone of the upcoming collection, but it’s clear that his affinity for luxury was not left on the bench. Here is a quick list of need-to-know information on the designer in advance of the NikeLab x Olivier Rousteing collection release, which will be available online and in select NikeLab stores on June 2.
His original plan was to become a lawyer.
Despite having a desire to work in fashion at the age of 16, Rousteing enrolled in law school upon graduating high school. “I think I would be a good lawyer,” he told Out Magazine in 2014. “But, it wasn’t for me. I could do it, but it wouldn’t make me happy.” Shortly after, he transferred to the esteemed fashion school École Supérieure des Arts et Techniques de la Mode in Paris. He wasn’t a fan of that either and left after just six short months. Luckily, Rousteing’s lack of formal schooling has never seemed to hold him back.
His favorite sneaker is the Nike Air Force 1.
Although not included as one of the four sneaker styles featured the upcoming collaboration, Rousteing’s favorite Nike is the Air Force 1. “They go everywhere with me,” he recently told French Vogue. “I always have those shoes. I feel cool with those shoes. They are a big part of my life, and they would have so many things to say if they could talk.” He’s also a fan of the Air Max, as it was the first pair of Nikes he ever owned.
Despite his young age, he has a lot of experience.
At only 29 years-old, Rousteing is wise beyond his age—mostly thanks to an early start in the industry. When he was only 18, the would-be Balmain mastermind kick-started his career as an intern for Roberto Cavalli. He was quick to rise within the ranks and soon found himself working directly under Peter Dundas, the head designer at the time.
After spending six years honing his craft at Cavalli, he moved on to the to Balmain, where he would work alongside the controversial Christophe Decarnin. Rousteing quietly rose to become the French house’s studio manager and was appointed as creative director after Decarnin’s swift and jarring exit from the label.
He's boosted Balmain's revenue and relevance.
Don’t be fooled by Rousteing’s flashy personality and the star-studded social circle he runs with—the designer means business. Balmain reportedly generated $32 million in revenue in 2014, up a whopping 20 percent from the previous year. Not bad considering the fashion house once faced bankruptcy back in 2004. Beyond the dollars, Rousteing is the most-followed French designer on Instagram and shows no signs of slowing down. Maybe it could be the Balmain biker jeans that nearly everyone has worn?
His Balmain for H&M collection sold out in minutes.
There are a few things both sneakerheads and fans of Rousteing have in common: waiting in line for days ahead of release and shouting at a computer screen in anger when you weren’t quick enough to cop. When H&M released their collaboration with Balmain last year, fans waited up to six days to be the first in line to purchase. Shortly after the in-store release, multiple videos surfaced showing stampeding crowds in cities all over the globe.
It wasn’t much easier for those who tried their hand at purchasing online via the H&M website. The release crashed the retail giant’s servers, and when it worked, the majority of the collection sold out within mere minutes of being posted. If history is any indicator, you’ll need to bring your A game in order to get your hands on something from the upcoming Nike collaboration.
He was the designer behind Kanye West's bedazzled Met Gala jacket.
Kanye’s vampire-blue contact lenses might have stolen the show at this year's Met Gala, had it not been for his bling'd out denim jacket. Whether it was Yeezy’s blatant disregard for the “white tie” attire or the level of sheer detail in the garment, it was easily the most talked about outfit of the night. Rousteing also dressed Kim Kardashian that night, but make no mistake, it was her husband’s outfit that took the longest to create. "The hardest thing was Kanye's jacket,” Rousteing confessed to GQ. “We had to bleach the denim and then embroider it with all the stones and pearls. It was a different kind of process that we're not used to doing."
He considers Rihanna his muse.
Rousteing isn’t shy in singing the praises of his female friends like Naomi Campbell and Cindy Crawford, but the designer clearly puts Rihanna a notch above anyone else. "She has this aura, this charisma,” he told The Telegraph last year. “This is a woman of the world who represents a new world." Rousteing famously cast Rihanna to be the face of Balmain’s Spring 2014 campaign, which was a bold move considering the once-traditional nature of the label.
"In front of the camera, she makes you feel like she is the only girl in the world," Rousteing told Vogue at the time of the campaign’s release. "When the woman that inspires you wears your creations, your vision feels complete." While Rousteing is also friends with a number of other high-profile females (Beyoncé, Kim Kardashian, Gigi Hadid), he seems to reserve his best compliments for RiRi.