Virtually unknown Olivier Rousteing will succeed Christophe Decarnin at the Parisian fashion house, Women’s Wear Daily reports.
According to the trade paper, Rousteing has worked under Decarnin at Balmain for the past three years after a six-year stint at Roberto Cavalli.
Balmain had announced on April 6 that it was parting ways with Decarnin. His absence at the label’s runway show in March had already spurred speculation about his future at Balmain. His failure to take the traditional bow had many attendees twittering, and it was reported that the designer had checked into a mental health hospital back in January — possibly fueled by substance abuse.
However, WWD says that “sources close to the designer say speculation about Decarnin’s mental health was overblown…In fact, tensions between the designer and Balmain’s chairman and chief executive officer Alain Hivelin had reached a breaking point, with the two men said to have widely divergent views on the company’s strategy and future direction.”
With AFP Relax wire news services
