Olivier Rousteing Named Creative Director of Rabanne

Rabanne has confirmed its next chapter with Olivier Rousteing. He’s spent 14 years reshaping Balmain and is now stepping in as the Rabanne’s new creative director. The appointment, announced this week, ends months of industry speculation and marks the end of Julien Dossena’s 13-year run, during which he transformed Rabanne from a fragrance-led label into one of Paris Fashion Week’s most consistently talked about names.

Rousteing’s path follows a certain symmetry. He took the top job at Balmain in 2011 at just 25, becoming one of the youngest designers ever to lead a historic French fashion house. Over the following decade, Rousteing turned it into a global celebrity-facing powerhouse, with the brand’s revenue reportedly growing tenfold along the way. He left Balmain at the end of last year.

In a statement, Rousteing called joining Rabanne “a tremendous honour,” describing the house as one that has “always challenged convention, transforming bold ideas into creations that have shaped fashion history.” He added that for him, fashion is about emotion and identity –”the confidence to express who we truly are” – which he linked directly to Paco Rabanne’s own vision of freedom and individuality.

It’s also worth noting that Rabanne was among the first Parisian houses to put Black models on the runway back in the 1960s, and the brand is now led by a Black creative director for the first time.

Rousteing is expected to present a pre-fall collection in November, with his first runway show for the house landing at Paris Fashion Week in March 2027.