Changes on logos should no longer surprise us. Within the last two years, we have seen labels such as Calvin Klein, Balenciaga, Burberry and Celine introduce new emblems. The mentioned were products of new leadership—Raf Simons, Demna Gvasalia, Riccardo Tisci and Hedi Slimane marked the beginning of a new era for their respective houses with a symbolic change, among other things. But now we have Balmain, with a logo that has been around 70 long years, and its creative director who has led the French label since 2011, decide that it’s time for an update. Behold, Balmain’s newly minted logo:
Unveiled earlier this month, the logo was updated as Balmain keeps up with the times. Olivier Rousteing, creative director for the brand, said to Vogue, “Balmain is now a fast-growing brand relying on new media to communicate to a global audience. To best meet the challenges and opportunities of today, we unveil a newly updated logo for Balmain Paris.”
Compared to its predecessor, the more recent version is minimized to two characters instead of spelling out the house’s name. It might deceive most in that it appears to only have a single letter, but looking closer reveals “P” incorporated within the monogram. “B” and “P” together pertain to the initials of Pierre Balmain, the brand’s eponymous founder, as well as Balmain Paris. The aesthetic is even reminiscent of the late founder’s monograms. It was created together with Adulte Adulte, a creative studio also based in Paris that has worked with Nike and Lanvin in the past. Rousteing has expressed delight for what they have come up together, saying that the contemporary logo does both paying tribute to the the company’s rich heritage as well as bringing the French brand to the present.
The creative director further conveyed excitement, saying “My team and I look forward to exploring new ways to incorporate it into future designs.” So far, we’ve already seen the previews through released photos for Balmain Pre-Fall and Winter 2019-2020 collection. A new handbag called the B bag will also be at the forefront of new pieces bearing the modern logo, which we will probably see in the following months gracing our Instagram feeds. It may not be too striking a change—some fans found the logo to be similar to that of other brands’.
Even though we have a social media-friendly emblem on our hands, Rousteing clarified that the update is not made hastily, “Having been the creative director of this house for eight years, I’m not about to tear down traditions or break rules simply for the sake of breaking them.” It was important to him that the logo stay true to the brand’s spirit and history. “In order to move forward, you must first be clear about where it is that you’re coming from,” he added.
Balmain’s update is not a reflection of its being out of touch. In fact, it is quite the opposite, especially with Rousteing at its head. The designer is known to mingle with celebrities who have quite a following in an Internet-savvy generation, and is himself is a social media royalty with 5.1 million followers on Instagram. The fresh take on the logo is just one of the brand’s attempts to position itself against luxury’s big players: Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Gucci, all of which share billions of dollars in revenue among them. Besides the BP, Balmain is working on creating more accessories, opening more stores, and releasing a beauty line. It will also be making its return to couture come January 2019 after a 16-year hiatus.
Image credits: Balmain, Vogue, AFP
