BALMAIN TEAMS UP WITH MALUMA ON CAPSULE
Balmain has teamed up with Colombian singer Maluma on a new capsule collection.
The French luxury label’s creative director Olivier Rousteing first worked with Maluma this summer when he created a one-of-a-kind tropical look for the 2020 Video Music Awards. Inspired by the sherbet tones, sexy styling, and ’80s silhouettes worn by Crockett and Tubbs in Miami Vice, Maluma debuted the new relaxed Balmain look while singing his hit “Hawái” during last August’s awards show.
After the success of that VMA appearance, the duo knew they had to push their partnership further. That’s when Maluma and Rousteing began working closely together on a whole new line of designs intended for his tour. And, although the pandemic might have forced a rescheduling, Rousteing and Maluma have decided to release their new Balmain x Maluma collaboration as a special, limited-edition collection.
“At the same time that Maluma and I were working on these designs, the speakers inside the Balmain atelier were blasting out a continual loop that both inspired and reflected our work,” said Rousteing. “I’ve pulled that selection of tunes together for our collaboration’s special playlist, which is now available on the Apple Music Signature platform. This Balmain x Maluma seamless mix of music and fashion makes perfect sense, of course. It reflects this house’s distinctive DNA, in which music and fashion are thoroughly intertwined—and neither Maluma nor I could ever conceive of fashion without a full helping of music (or vice-versa).”
“I released two albums in eight months, and no one was expecting that,” said Maluma. “First, Papi Juancho, with all those vintage Miami Vice vibes, and then I went to Jamaica and fell in love with the culture there. I feel like Olivier and Balmain do that, too, by trying to change the rules of the game every time you want to play it. This collaboration represents us merging our fashion and music worlds, and breaking the rules with style, colors, and most importantly blending our cultures together.”
Maluma added: “It’s been one of my goals to work with a respected fashion house on a collection, but this journey was more exciting, as Olivier pushed me to design with him and sketch looks that I personally will wear off the stage and showcase high couture with a bit of Papi Juancho. This process was exciting as I have always dreamt to design one day, and I was happy to have a friend like Olivier let me express myself creatively through fashion.”
The collection of one-of-a-kind Balmain x Maluma sneakers and ready-to-wear designs, which retail between $495 and $2,550, are now available across the globe
