The new 1945 collection from Balmain is available in stores now, bringing Pierre Balmain’s founding spirit into the latest contemporary couture.

Rising in a post-war fashion renaissance that sparked in Paris, Balmain has been a fashion house standing on the pillars of luxury, new beginnings and challenging preconceived notions since its very conception in 1945. Now, Balmain is taking that signature innovative spirit and encapsulating it in the 1945 Collection—a bold line of soft-leather and jacquard bags with matching wallets in a variety of shapes and sizes, inspired by some of Pierre Balmain’s preeminent mid-century designs.

Creative Director Olivier Rousteing worked with his team to revive the interlocking PB monogram logo—the “B” for the founder Balmain, and the “P” for Pierre and Paris, an intertwined pair—in a jacquard pattern design on four distinctive silhouettes, recalling Balmain’s distinctive house pattern that has graced men’s and women’s ready-to-wear collections in the early ‘70s. In a double-chain shoulder, cross-body, porté porchette (envelope), or torte silhouette, the 1945 designs are built for every occasion.

The monogram motif also evokes the labyrinthine French Renaissance gardens, which Pierre Balmain held a deep fascination for—many of the signature Balmain couture collections are named for the classic gardens and chateaux of France, paying tribute to Balmain’s love for French design.

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The soft-leather line of the 1945 collection complements the jacquard patterns with a simple, sleek ivory and black contrast, an ode to both Pierre Balmain and Olivier Rousteing’s love for dynamic and contrasting patterns. Also available in four sizes (from a chic modern over-the-shoulder number to an everyday tote), the soft-leather bags are bold in their design and rich in their craft, making it clear that Balmain’s monochrome is never monotone. 

Gold embellishments fleck all eight new bags in the collection, a homage to Balmain and Rousteing again: while remaining a distinctive symbol in Rousteing’s collections, the gold medallions, gilded buttons and golden accessories have been part of the fashion house since Pierre Balmain’s earliest days, and a new galvanization process ensures these chains, symbols and closures look slightly aged, recalling the brand’s heritage. 

The 1945 collection is available now on Balmain’s website and in the new Balmain Madison Avenue store in New York, along with the Madison Ave BBuzz Bag and Balmain x Trudon candle, exclusive to the new retail location.