Let's Talk About Sex: Balmain's Olivier Rousteing Does Just That

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Balmain is a label synonymous with sex appeal, as head designer Olivier Rousteing knows well. The Talks interviewed the man behind the brand to for an inside look at Rousteing's creative process, and, unsurprisingly, the designing has a lot to do with sex and powerful women.

"I think sex is really important because there is a lot to play with when you have sex on your mind. It's something that has no limit and no boundaries," Rousteing told The Talks. "When I create clothes for a girl, in my mind I always think about what I would want if I were the girl or if I would love to have sex with her. So it's really something where I play different roles and I kind of like that."

But the designs don't necessarily lend themselves to one night stands. "After my first show somebody asked me, 'Does your girl have sex on the first night?' And I said she can't because the dress is so complicated," Rousteing says. "It's so difficult and so heavy. So actually I think when you wear Balmain you can't have sex that fast, even though everybody thinks like that."

He adds that the clothing isn't just about sex—it's about tapping into the power of women. "My women are soldiers, they are like big fighters, and when they go to a club they will be looking for the man in the middle of the crowd and grab him like she is on a safari and she's a lion," said Rousteing. "I love the power of women and I love the fact that she's on top of the man. I think that's what excites me about my woman. She's stronger than a man, like the shoulders and the structure of the clothes."
· Olivier Rousteing: "You Fight Through The Night" [The Talks]
· Why Goyard Remains Fashion's Most Mysterious Luxury Brand [Racked]
· How Hermès Built Its Billion-Dollar Fortune [Racked]