The Maison’s story comes full circle in a documentary exploring its 1945 origins
The thread weaving through Balmain’s 80-year history was first spun on September 18, 1945, at precisely 3 p.m., when Pierre Balmain unveiled his debut haute couture collection in the Rotonde Salon at 44 Rue François 1er — the same Parisian address the Maison still calls home.
In letters to Gertrude Stein and Alice Toklas ahead of that first show, Balmain described himself as “the young couturier of a liberated France.” His designs reflected a post-war longing for renewal, offering women a vision of empowerment and rebirth through fashion.
Now, filmmaker Loïc Prigent revisits that seminal moment in a new documentary, 80 Ans of Balmain, retracing the origins of a house that helped shape the future of French couture. Through archival imagery, first-hand testimonies, and reflections from creative director Olivier Rousteing and Balmain heritage curator Julia Guillon, Prigent reconstructs the feverish spirit of those early days — a time when seamstresses and models slept on the atelier floor, driven by the shared dream of rebuilding beauty from the ashes of war.
The film is part of Balmain’s 80th anniversary celebrations, which began with the One Night, Eight Decades exhibition at Printemps in New York and continued with the Continuum runway show during Paris Fashion Week. It recalls how, in 1945, Pierre Balmain revolutionized post-war fashion with silhouettes defined by fluid architecture and optimism — from hip-length jackets and full skirts to trousers inspired by Breton fishermen.
Praised by critics and clients alike, Balmain’s debut was hailed by Alice Toklas as the moment “a new understanding of what fashion should be appeared.” His aesthetic, at once opulent and restrained, came to define the “New French Style,” inspiring generations of women including Josephine Baker, Brigitte Bardot, and Audrey Hepburn.
Prigent’s documentary captures not only the birth of a couture house but the rebirth of a nation’s spirit — a story of craftsmanship, courage, and creative vision that continues to define Balmain today.
80 Ans of Balmain will be released on October 23 on Amazon Prime Video and on Loïc Prigent’s YouTube channel.
