Balmain

May 2025

For the Balmain Pre-Fall 2025 ad campaign, creative director Olivier Rousteing delivers a masterclass in urban sophistication, blending high-fashion polish with the kinetic energy of city life. Captured by photographer Winter Vandenbrink, the series channels a candid, cinematic sensibility that transforms everyday asphalt and urban crosswalks into an elevated editorial stage. The campaign leans into a sharp, monochromatic palette punctuated by the maison's signature gold hardware, with styling that oscillates between structured leather tailoring and the ethereal lightness of ruffled lace and tweed. Art direction by Ezra Petronio and Lana Petrusevych emphasizes this duality, utilizing high-angle perspectives and natural light to cast dramatic, angular shadows that ground the subjects in their environment. Models like Olivia Petronella Palermo navigate these spaces with effortless confidence, their movement captured through live-action techniques that lend a sense of immediate, lived-in reality to the luxury aesthetic. With meticulous hair by Yuji Okuda and makeup by Satoko Watanabe, the imagery feels both aspirational and grounded, proving that even the most sculptural silhouettes are meant for the rhythm of the streets. By layering these architectural garments against the gritty, textured backdrop of the city, the campaign underscores a modern vision of luxury that feels inherently dynamic, tactile, and uncompromisingly chic.

Editorial, Lifestyle

Natural light

Luxury Fashion Houses, Fashion