Beyoncé has teamed up with the creative director of Balmain, Olivier Rousteing, to co-design a couture collection following her breakup with adidas.
The “Renaissance Couture” collection, which has been named after Beyoncé’s latest album, consists of 17 looks, with each ensemble inspired by one of the songs in the album. The collaboration comes as Beyoncé prepares for her first world tour in four years, scheduled for this summer.
Beyoncé unveiled the collection on the cover of Vogue France, showcasing a black embellished dress and an attached hat to match.
“Thank you @olivier_rousteing and @balmain for bringing Renaissance to life in couture,” said Beyoncé in an Instagram post. “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.”
According to Vogue, Rousteing contacted both Beyoncé’s stylist Marni Senofonte and Beyoncé herself to propose the collaboration. The singer has already worn two of the collection’s outfits at this year’s Grammy and Brit Awards and plans to unveil more in the upcoming weeks and months.
The announcement comes on the heels of the singer’s breakup with adidas. Despite reports of Beyoncé earning an annual contract fee of $20 million, her collaboration with the company did not meet initial expectations.
Sources close to the matter revealed that adidas and Beyoncé’s team had disagreements over product labeling and marketing. The company also reportedly struggled to reach an agreement over Beyoncé’s push for reclaiming her brand and maintaining artistic autonomy.
These challenges translated to poor sales, with almost half of the merchandise from five out of six previous IVY PARK collections having gone unsold.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the contract between the superstar and the company was set to end in 2023, five years after the collaboration began.
Photo credit: Balmain
