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Early life before designing:
Pierre Balmain grew up surrounded by fashion. He was born in Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, France in 1914. His father ran a drapery business while his mother ran a fashion boutique with her sisters. His parents both worked in the artistic industry thus grew up surrounded by art. His father died at age 7. He initially studied Architecture but did not finish.

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Prior to Pierre Balmain's fashion house opening, the trends during the early 40s was very utilitarian. Fashion did not come before the war efforts. Unfortunately the fashion houses and haute couture houses struggled to keep relevant during the war as materials and fabric was reserved for the war efforts. Fashion became materials reused from men's suits, curtains, and pretty much an extra fabric that was lying around the house. With Men being away from home due to the war, women's fashion became more like a uniform.

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Pierre Balmain studied under several designers and worked with big designers before opening his own fashion house. He worked part time for Edward Molyneux, a British fashion designer in Paris, for a short time. Then, he was called to work in the military. Shortly after he was demobilized from his military career, he then worked full time for Lucien LeLong who worked with many famous designers like Christian Dior and Givenchy. It was here where Balmain gained his invaluable education in working with embroidery and beading which would give his fashion house so much success in the future.

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When Pierre Balmain first opened his fashion house in 1945, his fashion went against the typical utilitarian look that occupied most of the fashion scene since the end of the second world war. His fashion house focused on "boldly feminine and opulent signature style (Balmain)". This was completely different from the style that had occupied France during the war. Balmain's style featured "richly embroidered fabrics, nipped-in waists and longer, often fuller skirts" where previous fashion had shorter skirts to conserve fabric and less opulent fabrics due to costs. His most famous work was opulent embroidered evening gowns and slim evening suits for men.

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Pierre Balmain's work was worn across the world, as European and Hollywood royalty made the Fashion house, Balmain, so successful. His work often focused on women and men's evening wear. Hollywood stars like Bridgette Bardot wore his fashion, like below. This dress was made for Bridgette Bardot in the French Comedy movie "The Bride is Much Too Beautiful". Pierre Balmain received many different awards like Best costume designer Tony award for his work that was featured in many films.

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In 1968, the Balmain fashion house designed the uniform known as sarong kebab that was worn by the female flight crew. The floral motifs and colorful blue boarders were designed to showcase "the Identity and hospitality of Singapore Airlines's Cabin Crew" (Danielle Wightman-Stone).

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Fashion and Perfume go hand in hand. In 1947, Pierre Balmain released his first fragrance under his fashion house. This perfume was notably different than most perfumes at the time as it featured a different "green note" that was not traditionally used in women's perfumes. This perfume was widely successful and brought on a new era of many perfumes that was released by the french designer. By 1952, he sold his perfume business to Revlon.

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By the 1950s, Pierre Balmain was still shocking the fashion industry like he did with his ultra feminine designs in the mid 1940s. This time, he brought the hem line up shorter while bring the neck line lower. This was very shocking to the high fashion world as traditional styles covered more. The designs of this decade still featured the embroidery and beading he was so famous for.

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By the 70s, the Balmain Fashion house was struggling. Evening gowns were no longer popular as fashion was heading towards a more minimalist design. The fashion house struggled for the early 70s until Balmain's death in 1882. To stay afloat, the designer released luxury goods like jewelry, watches and leather goods.

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Pierre Balmain after the Designer's Death

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Pierre Balmain after the Designer's Death

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When the designer passed away in 1982, the fashion house was run by several master designers. The brand's name, Pierre Palmain, was changed to just Balmain in 2001. One of the most note worthy designers, Paco Rabanne Christophe Decarnin brought the brands designs in 2005 back to the feminine styles that Pierre Balmain designed with a mix of modern style. Another note worthy art director for the modern day Fashion house was Oliver Rousting who's designs brought back the embroidery and beading that Pierre Balmain was so famous for.

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McDowell, Colin. "Pierre Balmain (1914-1982)." The Business of Fashion. The Business of Fashion, 02 Mar. 2016. Web. 09 June 2021.

"Pierre Balmain: Fashion Designer Biography." FAMOUS FASHION DESIGNERS. Web. 09 June 2021.

Wightman-Stone, Danielle. "Singapore Airlines Celebrates 50 Years of Pierre Balmain." 09 Mar. 2021. Web. 09 June 2021.