In a new effort to show the importance of sustainability within fashion, a French luxury house and natural spring water company come together to create a new kind of couture. Fashion is one of the highest pollutants worldwide, and many in the industry are tired of seeing the downfalls of cutting corners, including designer and Balmain’s Creative Director Olivier Rousteing. The tagline of the Balmain X evian collaboration reads, “Together, change is beautiful.” And while there is such a long way to go in terms of keeping our planet safe, creating something new with existing and eco-friendly materials is commendable.
This collaboration marks the second time the two entities have joined forces (in 2022, they collaborated on a capsule of water bottles). This capsule collection features ready-to-wear and accessories that are true to the Balmain vision through the eyes of Rousteing, with an emphasis on strong shoulders on blazers and a glamorous gown.
Both brands happen to be French with strong roots in Savoy, which is highlighted in the campaign video with soft pastels and a rural mountainous background. The collection’s efforts to recreate with plastic that usually does not decompose or have a quicker circularity is done by recreating Balmain’s B-It slider made completely out of plastic waste.
“Balmain’s first partnership with evian helped show that sustainable practices can make for impressive outcomes,” says Balmain Creative Director Olivier Rousteing via a press release. “But, for me, that was only a starting point. If we want to continue creating beauty while respecting the beauty of this planet, there’s just so much more that all of us in the fashion world should be doing now. We need to test and perfect new techniques in sourcing, recycling, upcycling, sustainably producing— and yes, I know, the list can sometimes seem endless. Luckily, evian shares Balmain’s dedication to searching for new possibilities—and with this second Balmain x evian capsule, we aim to make very clear that conscience and creativity can actually work quite well together.”
The collection is available now on balmain.com and in select boutiques worldwide.
