French fashion is headed for the outlaws in 19th-Century West. And, if you ask us, it’s about time cowboys got glam. Olivier Rousteing and Balmain have collaborated with Netflix on the Balmain – The Harder They Fall collection. You can watch the pieces come to life onscreen as the revenge-seeking crew of rough riders track down the enemy of the film’s protagonist and shop the limited-edition luxury clothing and accessory capsule collection on November 3rd. The launch coincides with the global release of The Harder They Fall on Netflix, and we cannot wait for either.
For anyone who thinks Balmain and Netflix are unexpected bedfellows, you’d be surprised to know that the French fashion house has collaborated with the entertainment industry in America and Europe since the dawn of the label. The house’s founder, Pierre Balmain, assisted in the costume design of ballets, theatre performances, and 50 plus films while at the head of the company. Now, his successor, Olivier Rousteing is following in those footsteps. However, The Harder They Fall Netflix and Balmain collaboration will be the first of its kind because fans can now keep a piece of this film with them in their wardrobe. Ingenuity, genius storytelling, and the brand’s DNA are all threaded together into the capsule collection – thrilling fans of fashion and film alike.
“The men’s and women’s ready-to-wear and accessory designs meld the film’s bold look with the expected audacious finesse of a Balmain runway.”
The film’s writer, director, producer, and composer, Jeymes Samuel, is also thrilled about the collaboration and called it “a perfect marriage if there ever was one.” Samuel values Rousteing’s commitment to making clothing that empowers each of the brand’s wearers and how that aspect of the clothing translates to the brand’s overall ethos. The director noted how Balmain specifically pairs well with the film because “much like The Harder They Fall, Balmain is kick-ass, taking no prisoners and showing us time and again that the brand hasn’t come to play, it’s come to make a statement.”
The Balmain x The Harder They Fall collaboration holds a place near Rousteing’s heart, as the French fashion designer grew up watching old Westerns and American cinema. Representation of Black American cowboys in Western films such as The Harder They Fall is important to the designer because it’s closer to the history of the 19th-Century West than the all-white casted films he viewed in his youth. Now, Rousteing’s designs play a role in narrating this history, and we get to participate in it with him through this limited-edition collection.
Shoppers can anticipate fringe designs and suede materials from this collection (pictured above), as they relay to the theme of the film. “The men’s and women’s ready-to-wear and accessory designs meld the film’s bold look with the expected audacious finesse of a Balmain runway,” stated Rousteing. The designer also noted how the clothing “will look just as at home when worn by Balmain Army members on the avenues of Paris as it would on Nat Love, Rufus Buck, Stagecoach Mary and Trudy Smith in the beautiful open spaces of the American West.” The talents of Rousteing and Samuel combined make for a promising capsule collection that blends the elements of Parisian chic with Western grit.
Look out for the 3D social content that FARFETCH is creating for the collaboration, which will take you onto the set and to shop to purchase the looks for yourself. The collection is also available to shop tomorrow on Netflix.shop, Balmain.com and select Balmain Retail Flagships. Get your swag before it sells out.
