A Virtual Tour of Balmain’s New West Hollywood Flagship

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The house of Balmain is 71-years old. It’s a veritable age, but also a surprising one when you consider how long it’s taken for it to establish flagship stores in the United States. It wasn’t until 2016 that creative director Olivier Rousteing spearheaded the opening of the first stand alone Balmain store on New York’s Wooster Street. Business on the East Coast must be booming, because today Balmain has opened a second flagship—this time in Los Angeles.

Taking over a 2,400-square foot, one story building on Melrose Place in West Hollywood, the new locale is modeled on founder Pierre Balmain’s Italian vacation home. Paris-based architects, Studio KO channeled the villa’s relaxed Mediterranean vibe while adding a series of modern twists to keep it fresh and in tune with Rousteing’s penchant for a more glamorous aesthetic. In a statement, the firm explained that the aim of the store was to create an exclusive space “in which luxury is expressed by the right proportions and the right rhythm—rather than by an avalanche of expensive materials.”

A visit to the new store will begin with the meeting of its rich forest green-stucco exterior, which soon gives way to its interior space topped by vaulted ceilings, European-style plaster walls, and expansive black marble floor tiling. A tranquil garden in the back invites visitors to stay a while and relax under the shade of low-hanging ferns and plush shrub-sized evergreens. On the shop floor, the full gamut of Balmain’s men’s, women’s, kids, and accessories lines will be available to shop and peruse.

For Rousteing himself, the West Coast opening represents a homecoming of sorts. In a statement from today, he explained how California has always inspired him. “For as long as I can remember, Los Angeles has always been this incredible source of dreams—pop culture actually made me fall in love with the city even before I had set foot inside it,” he said. “Later, when Los Angeles became more than just the setting of movies and songs, it ended up inspiring me even more—my California friends introduced me to the singular lifestyle, relaxed glamour and exhilarating openness, diversity and freedom that one finds there—and, of course, that intoxicating West Coast spirit has been reflected in my collections.”

Visit Balmain’s new flagship from today at 8421 Melrose Place in West Hollywood, Los Angeles.

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