If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, The Hollywood Reporter may receive an affiliate commission. Two iconic brands — and Balmain — have intersected to create something magical. In honor of ‘s 30th anniversary and ahead of the upcoming theatrical release of in December, Balmain has materialized a inspired by the story, the characters and the African landscape.
And in , each piece is met with impeccable tailoring and the house’s signature “New French Style.” Balmain Creative Director has always had a special connection to the film. Simply put, this collaboration makes perfect sense.
“I was only nine when was first released, but today, I only need to close my eyes to replay all of that beautiful music, images and emotions,” Rousteing tells THR. “As I was watching that solitary lion cub construct his own unique and chosen family, while he searched for truth about his heritage — as an adopted child just beginning to wonder about his own origins, that story really hit me particularly hard,” the designer continues. For this specific project, Rousteing and his team tapped three next-gen artists to create prints: Cameroonian painter , South African painter and South African painter , who told THR that Rousteing and Disney “expressed how much they really wanted [him] to stay true to [his] creative vision” throughout the design process.
Balmain also partnered with London-based Nigerian director to create a .
