Balmain parts with designer - Fashion - Fashion News - Fashion Jobs, News, Business, apparel industry platform, Fashion New York, Los Angeles, Miami

Balmain parts with designer - Fashion - Fashion News - Fashion Jobs, News, Business, apparel industry platform, Fashion New York, Los Angeles, Miami

Balmain parts with designer Monday, 11 April 2011 In a season of creative restructuring, French fashion house Balmain said it too has parted ways with its designer. Christophe Decarnin, the creative director behind the brand, was notoriously absent after the house's Autumn Winter 2011 presentation, but the house made no formal announcement of an imminent departure, creating months of speculation. Decarnin, who undoubtedly revived Balmain with his edgy and luxurious casual aesthetic, has not made a statement, nor has Balmain offered an explanation for his departure. Balmain didn't say who would succeed Mr. Decarnin, but a spokesman said the decision has been nearly finalized and an announcement would come within days. Mr. Decarnin's runway absence came the same week in March as Dior designer John Galliano's firing following a drunken anti-Semitic outburst. Rumors swirled that Mr. Decarnin was being treated for depression; Mr. Galliano was seen as consumed by his work. A year earlier, English designer Alexander McQueen committed suicide. The events culminated in a debate in the fashion industry over whether its cutthroat pace, with several clothing collections to produce a year in addition to overseeing other parts of a brand's image such as store design and advertising, was causing designers to crack. Dior hasn't yet named a successor to Mr. Galliano. Mr. Decarnin was instrumental in bringing Balmain back from the brink of financial collapse. He joined the Parisian house, founded in 1945 by Pierre Balmain, as a stylist in 2005, a year after it had filed for bankruptcy protection. Several designers including Oscar de La Renta had circulated through the house following Mr. Balmain's death in 1982. Balmain's heyday seemed to be over, similar to French fashion houses such as Courreges and Pierre Cardin, and it closed its expensive couture operations in 2003. Mr. Decarnin was the author of a rock-chic look—motorcycle jackets, destroyed T-shirts and glam minidresses—that debuted on Balmain's runway and trickled down into widespread fashion trends. His collections gave Balmain buzz that it hadn't had in years. That, together with sky-high prices—such as a hole-ridden tank top costing €1,000 — boosted the brand's fortunes. Image: Balmain SS11 Source: WSJ