synergy

Balmain’s New Fashion Campaign Is Also a Kanye Video

Did you expect Olivier Rousteing to just deliver a plain-old fashion campaign? The Balmain designer and Kanye West BFF decided to collaborate with Ye on the video for his song “Wolves” instead of releasing a traditional ad. “From the moment I heard that song, I knew we had to use it for this campaign,” said the designer in a statement, calling it “hauntingly beautiful.”

Rousteing explained that he gathered the Balmain army troops who were in town for the Met Ball — along with Steven Klein as the director and Pascal Dangin as creative director — for a blockbuster production featuring West, Kim Kardashian, Alessandra Ambrosio, Joan Smalls, Jourdan Dunn, and Riley Montana, among others. Shot in dramatic black and white, it features Kanye in his Met Ball regalia — heavily embellished Balmain jacket, ripped Fear of God jeans (Kneezus remains in full sway) and those controversial blue contacts. Naturally, Kanye is crying through much of the video, and there’s some Christ imagery.

The only person missing from this dream cast? Sia, who in accordance with her reclusive image employed a body double, model Gabrielle Baden. Would that we all had model stand-ins for these kinds of situations.

Balmain’s New Campaign Is Also a Kanye Video