Photo: Leandro Justen/BFANYC.com/ BFANYC.COM
You’ve heard of Zéline and Zalenciaga; now you can add Zalmain to the list. Olivier Rousteing’s designs for Balmain are a frequent target of Zara, er, homages, but the 28-year-old designer tells The Independent that’s fine by him. “I think it was Coco Chanel who said if you’re original, be ready to be copied,” he says. “I love seeing a Zara window with my clothes mixed with Céline and Proenza [Schouler]! I think that’s genius. It’s even better than what I do! When I did my Miami collection and we did the black and white checks, I knew they would be in Zara and H&M. But they did it in a clever way — they mixed a Céline shape with my Balmain print! Well done! I love that.” Sounds like he has a pretty healthy perspective on this.