Balmain’s creative director has praised the Duchess of Sussex for bringing diversity to the royal family.
Olivier Rousteing, 33, who became the second-youngest head of a Parisian fashion house at the age of 25, revealed that he has had to fight for diversity since being adopted from a Bordeaux orphanage as a baby by white parents – asking at them as a young boy ‘ are you sure you want a black child?’.
The French fashion mogul, who has worked with the likes of Cara Delevingne and Kim Kardashian, admitted he would love to dress Meghan, describing her as ‘confident, sexy and respectful’, but was less sure when it came to Melania Trump.
Balmain’s creative director Olivier Rousteing, 33, pictured at Balmain’s Sneaker Corner Shop pop-up store at Selfridges in June, has praised the Duchess of Sussex for bringing diversity to the royal family
The French fashion mogul, who has worked with the likes of Cara Delevingne and Kim Kardashian, admitted he would love to dress Meghan, pictured at Wimbledon last week, describing her as ‘confident, sexy and respectful’
Speaking in The Sunday Times Style magazine, Olivier said: ‘I was obsessed with royalty [from a young age] because we don’t have it in France – the Queen, Princess Diana.
‘I love Meghan. It is an incredible step – more diversity, which is something I always had to fight for in my own little world. She is beautiful.
‘[I would love to dress her because] she has a confidence, a sexiness, but still respects the protocol’.
But when asked about whether he would like to dress Donald Trump’s wife Melania, his response was a polite silence.
‘If she wants to ask me… I don’t know. She is an incredibly beautiful woman . Maybe if I meet her and I can have a talk with her’.
But when asked about whether he would like to dress Donald Trump’s wife Melania, seen in January 2017 in Washington, his response was a polite silence
Olivier has an array of A-list celebrities and model pals on speed dial, boasting 5.4million followers on Instagram.
Whilst Olivier spent his 30th birthday partying with Alessandra Ambrosio, Justin Timberlake, and an array of Charlie’s Angels, Olivier’s story hasn’t always been so starry.
Growing up in Bordeaux, France, Olivier’s father managed the seaport and his mother was an optician.
The couple had high hopes for their son to excel at school and go on to become a lawyer – a career path he very nearly followed.
Olivier has an array of A-list celebrities and model pals on speed dial, boasting 5.4million followers on Instagram. He is seen left, with Rihanna, and right with Justin Timberlake
Whilst Olivier spent his 30th birthday partying with Alessandra Ambrosio, Justin Timberlake, and an array of Charlie’s Angels, Olivier’s story hasn’t always been so starry. He is pictured wit models Kendall Jenner and Jourdan Dunn in 2015
Olivier, who is fluent in French, English, German and Italian, left school at 17 to study law, but his parents’ dreams were dashed when he dropped out a month later and moved to Milan.
He quickly gained internships at famed fashion houses, including a stint at Roberto Cavalli, but had to dance in a night club to earn his spending money.
Clearly impressed by his work ethic, Olivier became an assistant and then a designer at Cavalli during his five-year spell there.
By 2009, he had joined label-of-the-moment, Balmain, where he quickly rose in the ranks and became head of womenswear. By 25, he was running the label as creative director – second only to Yves Saint Laurent, who was younger at 21.
Close friendships with Hollywood royalty helped cement his status as the designer everyone wanted on speed dial and when Kim Kardashian and Kanye West fronted his campaign in 2014, people outside of the fashion industry started to notice
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