Discover Balmain‘s Resort 2018 womenswear collection lookbook featuring top models Daniela Braga, Elisabeth Erm, Maartje Verhoef, and Valery Kaufman. In charge of photography and creative direction was Pascal Dangin at KiDS Creative, with set design from Alexander Bock.

Much of today’s collection reflects a pride in the achievements-cultural and political, historical and contemporary-of my nation. A recent collaboration with the ballet of the Opera de Paris allowed me to spend long hours ensconced within Garnier’s magnificent palace, pouring through an extraordinary archive and collaborating with artists and craftsmen for whom nothing seems to be impossible. And, one doesn’t spend day after day surrounded by such beauty without being inspired-I soon found myself channeling the refined spirit of centuries of French classical ballet into my sketches.

What you are seeing today, though, is not just another take on the pastels, tutus and surface fragility of a classical ballerina. While working with the company, what most impressed me was the talent, daring and power of its dancers-making clear the obvious connection between ballet’s strong women and the members of today’s Balmain Army. That inspired a playing of contrast, highlighting the pairing of traditional codes of femininity with the confident outlook of modern, powerful women, while adapting ballet’s classic signatures to the recognizable Balmain style and silhouette.

At that same time that I was working on that collaboration, my country was making an historic choice, rejecting a fear of the other and choosing instead to embrace the core values of the great thinkers of our past and my generation’s hopes for the future. Today, there’s a palpable sense of pride and possibility in the air, helping to push me and my team toward an emphasis on Parisian fashion’s classic codes.

Complementing the dual French inspirations is a strong injection of the signature look of the American West. Our preparations for the soon-to-open Balmain flagship in Los Angeles helped to remind all of us what we love about that unique, diverse culture, as well as the connections between Balmain’s love of adventure and exploration and the appeal of America’s beautiful open spaces. – Olivier Rousteing

Related: Fashion Show | Resort 2018

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Courtesy of Balmain