Kanye West Stars in Balmain’s Dramatic New Campaign

Balmain unveiled its fall/winter 2016 campaign starring Kanye West.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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UPDATE 7/28/16: Balmain has shared three more images from its campaign starring Kanye West. In the images, West wears a Balmain jacket from the upcoming season along with a pair of vintage Fear of God jeans. Balmain confirmed to Complex that there is no collaboration between it and Fear of God. Kanye is simply wearing the Los Angeles-based brand's jeans in the image. 

 

Read the original story from 7/25/16 below.

Kanye West is the star of Balmain's new fall/winter 2016 campaign. This is the rapper's second campaign with Balmain, but unlike the first he's not featured alongside his wife Kim Kardashian. West stars in the ad with model Joan Smalls wearing a version of the custom beaded-jacket he wore to this year's Met Gala

The campaign, which is shot by legendary fashion photographer Steven Klein, is about a "music fashion fusion," according to the creative director behind the images Pascal Dangin. Dangin also reveals that there are "more coming soon."

Balmain designer Olivier Rousteing and West have long been mutual fans. West wears Balmain with great frequency and in turn the designer has called him a “God.”

Rousteing also continues his strategy of using big time celebrities in his Balmain campaigns. Last season, he enlisted supermodels Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford and Claudia Schiffer. Kendall and Kylie Jenner were the #BalmainArmy members chosen for the fall/winter 2015 campaign.

Balmain has also released a couple of short clips, neither of which feature West, though. 

 

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