From the time he opened up shop in 1949, Pierre Balmain and his namesake label were synonymous with French Luxury. But by the 60s, Blamain began to lose popularity, a decline which continued after Pierre's death in 1982. His life partner, Erik Mortensen, took the reins, but he was not able to return the house to it former place of prominence. By 1990, Mortensen was out and by 1991, Balmain had already been bought and sold three times. It had lost its former value as a luxury label. In 1992, Oscar de la Renta took control of the house, and reintroduced couture, but it was Christophe Decarnin who brought back Balmain in a big way. His designs, edgy yet elegant and opulent, garnered plenty of fans and revived the dead house. In spite of the success, Decarnin struggled with depression and exited Balmain after being mysteriously absent from the label's Fall 2011 show. Olivier Rousteing was chosen as a successor and has since been keeping up the house's momentum, bringing his youthful vibe to the brand's designs and ad campaign strategy. Today, Balmain is as popular (and expensive) as ever, with fans including Beyoncé, Miley Cyrus, Rihanna and more.
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