Beyonce has co-designed a “one of a kind” fashion collection with Balmain’s Olivier Rousteing, titled Renaissance Couture.
The collection includes 17 looks each inspired by a certain track or song lyric from the pop megastar’s latest album, Renaissance.
It was announced that two of the looks have already debuted at the Brit and Grammy awards this year, with more to be unveiled in the future.
Fashion designer Rousteing told Vogue that he contacted Beyonce and her stylist Marni Senofonte in August and said: “Honestly, I want to create a couture collection with you.”
He added: “My hope was that she would be up for something even beyond the work we have done together before, I wanted us to be co-designers.
“I can’t help but be thrilled by the history-making aspects of this collaboration. This appears to be the first time that a black woman has overseen the couture offering from an historic Parisian house.
“And those designs were created in partnership with the first black man to ever oversee all the collections at an historic Parisian house.
“Let’s hope those two firsts help inspire plenty of others.
“Thank you Beyonce for creating the infectious, joyous music that launched this journey, and for partnering with me to ensure that we designed the collection that perfectly reflected the power of those compositions.”
Rousteing said the collection took them five months, with “hundreds of WhatsApps, Zooms, and mail” to edit the sketches, before he spent 10 days with Beyonce and Ms Senofonte in Los Angeles in January for “final touches, additions, fittings, shootings and edits”.
Announcing the post on social media, Beyonce shared a dozen of the looks, which include the Break My Soul outfit after her award-winning track.
It features a hooded draped shiny black velvet dress with a 3D printed bustier electroplated in black chrome creating the image of a bare torso.
Meanwhile, the I’m That Girl look features a hammered metal sculpture from artist Elie Hirsch with matching spiked bracelets over a pareo skirt and gloves of black nappa lamb leather.
Rousteing told Vogue: “Beyonce’s a strong woman of substance and with these lyrics and this message, making the choice for which way to go for this first design was very easy.”
Another eye-catching look titled Thique features a hammered brass and crystal pendant illusion bustier worn over a black velvet bodysuit with black velvet turban and tassel chandelier earrings.
Beyonce announced the new fashion co-collaboration on Instagram, captioning it: “Thank you @olivier_rousteing and @balmain for bringing RENAISSANCE to life in couture.
“Designing alongside you was freeing – thank you for allowing me to celebrate the human form, to take artistic risks, to push boundaries and to freely express myself.
“To the @voguefrance team, thank you for trusting in our vision and sharing it with the world.”
