Balmain

History

Pierre Alexandre Claudius Balmain (18 May 1914 – Paris, France, 29 June 1982) was a French fashion designer. Known for sophistication and elegance, he once said that "dressmaking is the architecture of movement."

Beginning

With the advice of his perfumer friend Germain Cellier, Balmain entered into the perfume industry in 1946 with the introduction of Elysées 64-83, which bore his company's Phone Number. His fragrances were created to express his romantic vision of women and elegance. Balmain also created other perfumes, including Vent Vert (1947), his first successful scent and one of the best-selling perfumes of the late 1940s and early 1950s, Jolie Madame (1953), Ivoire (1979), and Eau d'Amazonie (2006).

The perfume business bought by Revlon in 1960. In 1982 the company was sold on and since 1991 has been owned by Erich Fayer. Oscar de la Renta led the house between 1993 and 2002. Under Pierre Balmain, Mortensen, and de la Renta, the house was known for its classic, luxurious designs.
Until 2011, the house was led by designer Christophe Decarnin, whose vision for the house is more modern and edgier. In April 2011, the fashion house announced that Decarnin was succeeded by Olivier Rousteing