Beyoncè and Balmain Launch Renaissance Couture

Photo: Louie Banks via Vogue

In 2017, Beyonce established her ability to create groundbreaking, multimedia musical experiences with her visual album, Lemonade. Now, teaming up with Olivier Rousteing of Balmain, the R&B sensation has created an entirely new kind of visual album; a couture collection, each piece corresponding to a different song on her most recent album, Renaissance. 

Renaissance Couture, originally ideated by Olivier Rousteing and created in close collaboration with Beyonce, debuted in French Vogue’s April issue. A capsule collection consisting of sixteen pieces to match the sixteen songs on Renaissance. 

Photo: Louie Banks via Vogue

This collection is historic in more ways than one, Beyoncé became the first Black women to oversee a couture collection for such a mayor fashion couture house alongsides the first Black man, Olivier Rousteing, to direct said brand. A multi significant collaboration!

The pieces are whimsical and inventive. The collection is full of feathers and fluff and funky inverted shapes. Metallic chrome plating and delicate, sparkly crystal. Sharp spikes and soft velvet and a long, sweeping black cape. A shimmering tinsel minidress that perfectly captures a heavy disco influence.

Photos: Louie Banks via Vogue

The perfect visual representation of Queen Bey’s melding of musical styles, her masterful marriage of R&B history and contemporary sound, and her embrace of Black history.

The clothing created by Beyoncé and Rousteing is avant-garde and uniquely theirs, but it also dips into the heritage of Balmain. One piece is a tribute to New York ballroom dance, while another is an ode to classical Parisian chandeliers.

Photo: Louie Banks via Vogue

Each piece, whether classy, romantic, geometric and funky is a carefully planned, designed and executed piece of art. The album can clearly be seen, nay, heard, between the seams and stitches of each piece; the disco influences, the ballroom notes, the R&B rhythms all emanate from the fabric. Self love, the confidence, and the rebellion are sewninto the clothing. And, of course, it is steeped in Black culture and heritage. It is couture in the truest sense of the word, high quality and meaningful: true art.