Olivier Rousteing has chosen Cara Delevingne to be the face — and body — of the Balmain spring ’19 campaign, the brand announced on Wednesday.
The British model and actress, who opened the Balmain spring ’19 show in Paris last October, strikes a pose for two daring images shot in black-and-white by Berlin-based photographer Dan Beleiu.
In one of them, Delevingne and Rousteing pose topless. The designer is depicted standing behind Delevingne, his hands covering her breasts. “It references all the iconic album covers of the ’90s, which were big pop culture moments of our childhood,” Rousteing, who was born in 1985, told WWD (Delevingne was born in 1992.)
“The campaign shows the reunion of two skin tones, one black — or mixed race — and one white,” explained the designer. “Choosing to pose naked was all about authenticity. We’re going back to basics: I wanted something pure and transparent.”
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In the other image, the actress is seen entirely naked, reclining in front of a huge B, the logo initially created by Pierre Balmain and relaunched at the end of 2018 as part of the brand’s new identity.
The designer admits it was a unique shoot, but their chemistry made it an unforgettable moment in their close friendship.
“I love her so much that I don’t want to see any clothes on her,” said Rousteing. “Her gaze is so strong and magnetic, it’s nearly an item of clothing in itself.”
For the designer, Delevingne’s charisma, carefree attitude and unique looks seriously shook up the modeling world in the 2010s. “The campaign images are very sensual, but there is nothing flirtatious about them. Cara has such a strong presence and personality: we chose a pared-back set to let her gaze and the lines of her body do the talking.”
The spring 2019 campaign, which will be revealed online on Jan. 31, marks the second time Delevingne has posed for Balmain: for fall ’14, she appeared alongside Jourdan Dunn, Issa Lish, Kayla Scott, Binx Walton, Jackson Hale and Ysaunny Brito in campaign images shot by Mario Sorrenti.
The brand hinted that the new campaign is just the beginning of a partnership between Delevingne and the French house, with more projects to be revealed in 2019.
It’s been a busy time for Rousteing, who in the space of a couple of months unveiled a new logo for the house, launched the brand’s first app and presented his first couture collection for Balmain, paraded during last Paris couture week.
On the cards next is the label’s new flagship on the Rue Saint-Honoré, where the spring ’19 couture collection was presented last week, set to open in February.
This story was reported by WWD and originally appeared on WWD.com.
