The Future Is Now: Olivier Rousteing Imagines Balmain in 2050

Olivier Rousteing is used to dressing 2018’s most famous and powerful women, including Kim Kardashian West, Rihanna, and Brigitte Macron. His clothes are inherently “2018,” too—they’re bold, sexy, and Instagram-friendly—but for today’s collection, he decided to push himself and think beyond the zeitgeist. “What could Balmain be in 2050?” he mused in the atelier, where he invited Vogue to film the last day of fittings. To find out, he played with futuristic materials he’d never used before, from holographic PVC to latex and giant iridescent paillettes.

If the models’ reactions in our behind-the-scenes video are any indication, Rousteing’s experiments paid off. “I think this is my funnest collection yet,” he said. That’s usually a good sign. Hear more about the collection and get a glimpse of the preshow action in our video above.