We don’t call her Queen Bey for no reason. The day after the Ivy Park and Adidas partnership ended, Beyoncé and Vogue France dropped a breathtaking fashion editorial featuring the “Virgo’s Groove” singer wearing custom Balmain couture pieces.
While working on his Spring-Summer 2023 line, designer Oliver Rousteing had the Renaissance album on repeat. “I was sketching and sketching as I listened, and sometimes you can’t control the emotion of your sketch. And I started to imagine the sketches inside her album, how they would relate to the songs and the lyrics—it wasn’t something I was supposed to be doing, but I was just inspired by the music to do it. And that’s how this started,” says Rousteing.
This led to him contacting Beyoncé and her stylist Marni Senofonte, asking to design a collection with them. The trio spent 5 months narrowing down the 50 or so looks that Rousteing sketched, down to 17 to match the playlist. Each look represents a different song on the album and describes the track name. They designed what is being called “Renaissance Couture.”
Bey received her icon status after her Coachella performance and the subsequent Netflix show that had us in a chokehold and performing in unison at house parties. But, to partner with the luxury European fashion house Balmain which is helmed by a Black designer who is at the top of his game, takes her icon status to the next level.
If you haven’t already, get into the 16 Renaissance inspired looks below and see what look your favorite song is giving.
