Antonin Tron is the new creative director at Balmain His debut is scheduled for next March

After the sudden exit of Olivier Rousteing, Balmain announced today the appointment of Antonin Tron as the new Creative Director effective immediately. Thus begins, at a rapid pace, the transition to the new era for the brand which, we recall, has not changed creative director for fourteen years. A few months ago, Glitz reported that the brand's sales were in free fall and that the Qatari royal family continued to keep it afloat through liquidity injections. These are probably the reasons behind the creative change for the brand after several years of creative stagnation. In recent years, aside from tabloid news, the brand has in fact not made much news.

Rachid Mohamed Rachid, CEO of Mayhoola and President of Balmain, said: «His thoughtful approach to design, rooted in impeccable craftsmanship and a deep artistic sensitivity, makes him a figure of great potential for the maison». Matteo Sgarbossa, CEO of the brand, cited in his note «creativity, mastery, grace and profound human values» perhaps suggesting that Balmain's new collections will abandon the ostentatious aesthetic that is sometimes a bit kitsch to move towards more subtle conceptual dimensions.

Born in '84, Antonin Tron studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp. In the last seventeen years, he has worked at Louis Vuitton, Givenchy, Balenciaga and, more recently, at Saint Laurent. In 2016, Tron founded his own brand, ATLEIN, which will now be put on hold. The debut of the new creative director will take place in March 2026, during Paris Fashion Week Women’s FW26. We hope that his arrival can revive the brand's fortunes as Rousteing's did over a decade ago.