BALMAIN
Spring 2026 Menswear
By Brianna Faul
At the Balmain show in Paris, October 1, 2025, Oliver Rousteing has clearly outdone himself in both design and execution with the accessories and draping of the garments. In an interview we see this new description of richness and luxury, “To me, real luxury today is freedom and enjoyment,” said Rousteing. This year’s show was held at the InterContinental Hotel where we saw a lot of free and lose fitting clothing which really ties into the theme of the show “a ‘continuum’ of heritage and modernity.” The tassel and rope shoes are very reflective of the line. Every model has a variation of the same shoe and might’ve been something a brand would be afraid of, but they make the line more cohesive and freer. This nod to freedom juxtaposing the conformity of ropes and tassels is the stapple throughout the show.
This line was very well thought out with many different fabrics and textures. The fabric choices used for most of the big and layered garments are light and flowy fabrics juxtaposing the hard leather and heavy cotton canvas material. The shiny and silky charmeuses layered and draped gives the looks a perfect balance between heavy and weightless. Even fabrics that aren’t really supposed to give luster have some sort of shine. This could be seen with most of the leathers and some of the more suedey fabrics. The use of crochet is also very prevalent with another nod to “being tied up” vs. “being free.”
The menswear in this year’s Fashion weeks does not lack any luster and fulfills the newness needed for the Fashion world. In a preview for this collection Rousteing projects that “Newness is not what you see, it is how you are.” Balmain has been seen making moves back to upscaled street looks with a beachy breeze. This gust of fresh air has put the focus back on Balmain with the brands designer bringing a more elevated take on loose fitting clothes. One thing Balmain does, that is specific to the constant changing trends, is in addition to going along with them, they make it their own in a way no other brand has.
Personally, would’ve loved more color, but the way Rousteing’s eye captures the colors and textures, even in the plain blacks, gives the show so much life. Another thing this brand is exceptional at is the non-gendered or non-binary look achieved throughout the show. It’s very evident that there’s a lot of emphasis on some of the models who wear what types of clothing. What brand doesn’t do that, what’s different is the overall vibe of the looks is centered on not conforming to gender stereotypes which gives this show one last nod to untangling newness and freedom .
