Balmain’s SS22 Campaign captured by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott highlight’s the luxury fashion house’s latest inventive collection. Each piece showcases Olivier Rousteing’s vision for this season’s collection: one that visually showcases a deeper significance within its inception. “The message of the collection that we showed last September — a joy-filled and extremely personal message about new beginnings and the impressive liberating power of honesty and healing — could not possibly have found a more perfect complement than these images,” Rousteing shared in a press statement. “Many many thanks to my very patient team for putting up with me and to Mert and Marcus for this wonderful campaign.”

The campaign featuring Naomi Campbell, Carla Bruni, Lara Stone, Mariaclara Boscono, Adut Akech, Jordan Barret, and Fernando Casablancas, perfectly exude the collection’s true to form nature. “…It’s a true behind-the-scenes peek at what was happening on the day before the big day. The duo’s photos have a raw, honest and snapshot like quality as the models (previously mentioned above), pose casually in front of backdrops of concert seating and the towers of suburban Paris,” the renowned designer stated.

“Our Balmain designs somehow appear even more seductive and sensual when paired with spontaneous, relaxed poses from the mix of legends who have inspired me since childhood and some of today’s most remarkable new talents.” Rouseting goes on to emphasize how these highly well-respected individuals exhibit the essence of today’s Balmain Army: one that is “strong, diverse, and [has a] rebellious spirit.”

Rousteing also shared the experience behind the collection’s creative process prior to its debut citing its intricacies. “It wasn’t like we didn’t all have more than enough to do already. During the last days of September, each member of the entire Balmain team was at the end of his or her rope, after having worked frantically for weeks, in order to pull everything together for the presentation of the house’s Spring 2022 collection during the closing-night concert of last fall’s Balmain Festival.” He went on to explain how these moments led up to his “decision to throw one additional challenge into the mix.”

“I decided that Balmain would partner with Mert and Marcus, for the first time, in order to have the duo shoot the campaign images for those same spring designs from backstage at La Seine Musicale, the impressive Jean Nouvel-designed concert hall where our annual runway-meets-rock festival was taking place,” Rousteing elaborated. “I may not have made a lot of friends with that last-minute decision—but in the end, as our latest campaign make very clear, all that extra added tension and effort was very much worth it. “I love what Mert and Marcus were able to capture from that moment.”