On November 5, the fashion sphere went berserk while Olivier Rousteing’s #Balmaination swept away everything on its way. From Regent Street to Sydney, including Paris’ Champs Elysées and New York stores, the launch of the collection was welcomed with madness and fury, while online website crashed and sales on eBay took ridiculously off.
1 – First, it all started with a very, very long queue you didn’t have the choice but join.
2 – You happily found a spot, thinking “that”ll do, it’s worth it”.
3 – After ten hours and a half, you became (a bit) impatient.
4 – At some point, you had some deep questions, like “why am I here?”
5 – But you lost the train of your thoughts and remained at your spot.
6 – People tried to cut the queue right in front of you and it drove you very mad.
7 – While some staff members were standing behind the glass doors, looking at you with a smirk.
8 – But then, finally! You were amongst the first ones to enter the H&M store.
9 – You turned around, just for a second and saw people entering – running- after you.
10 – Once in the store, you had a fight with basically everyone for a £99 t-shirt.
11 – You pushed a kid – or a granny, you don’t even remember (and don’t care).
12 – At the cash desk, the payment terminal finally displays the holy message: “payment confirmed”.
13 – And that’s basically how you left the store.
And you, what was your reaction to the Balmain x H&M launch?
From baby Bieber to sports-luxe style icon in a flash.
When it comes to style, Justin Bieber isn’t one to shy away from the traditional rules laid out by menswear guides of old; regardless of divided opinion, his evolution from a fashion fledgling to street style superstar is undeniable. We break down some of the key moments in the style transformation of music’s most talked about male star.
Early Days…
We first caught glimpse of Justin as he was propelled into stardom from YouTube under the guidance of musical master, Usher. Needless to say, the styling choices of early days are nothing to view with aspirational eyes, but the typical clothes choices of any early – teen boy; baggy jeans, high-tops, hoodies and an abundance of snapbacks set the stage for the initial stages of the superstars rise.
Geek Chic
As the music styles of Justin began to mature – so too did he’s style; oversized, thick framed glasses became a staple element to almost every outfit and hoodies took a back seat. This made way for a more formal styling of shirts, blazers, waistcoats, tailored jeans and even suits. It’s clear at this time that Justin was starting to discover and explore his personal style with dramatic changes between the moods of red carpet looks.
Rockstar Influence
A few years into his career now, Beiber’s style was settling and a clear ‘Bieber Look’ aesthetic was beginning to emerge. The confidence within his own sartorial vision was evident as leather jackets, oversized chains and sunglasses were staple pieces for many looks. It’s interesting to see how he marries all of his previous influences into his developing image: rockstar, urban influences and boy next door are all added into a hybrid of his stylistic vision.
High Fashion
A hiatus from music, followed by a few personal scandals fuelled Justin’s next step into a serious style contender. Well executed outfits paring tailoring with streetwear, oversized t-shirts and drop crotch pants not to mention the complete absence of his infamous bowl cut hairstyle made the style – savvy sit up and pay attention.
Current Day
Recently Justin’s looks have become increasingly polished and have developed into a fully realised vision. As before, he’s kept elements of his fashion journey along the way while adding new key pieces. Wide brim hats, leather jackets and tailoring all with an urban undercurrent form the present day Bieber aesthetic. Still very much a marmite effect is present whenever the Bieber name is mentioned whether it comes to fashion or music direction – one thing is clear however, love him or hate him Justin Bieber is here to stay.
On November 5, the fashion sphere went berserk while Olivier Rousteing’s #Balmaination swept away everything on its way. From Regent Street to Sydney, including Paris’ Champs Elysées and New York stores, the launch of the collection was welcomed with madness and fury, while online website crashed and sales on eBay took ridiculously off.
1 – First, it all started with a very, very long queue you didn’t have the choice but join.
2 – You happily found a spot, thinking “that”ll do, it’s worth it”.
3 – After ten hours and a half, you became (a bit) impatient.
4 – At some point, you had some deep questions, like “why am I here?”
5 – But you lost the train of your thoughts and remained at your spot.
6 – People tried to cut the queue right in front of you and it drove you very mad.
7 – While some staff members were standing behind the glass doors, looking at you with a smirk.
8 – But then, finally! You were amongst the first ones to enter the H&M store.
9 – You turned around, just for a second and saw people entering – running- after you.
10 – Once in the store, you had a fight with basically everyone for a £99 t-shirt.
11 – You pushed a kid – or a granny, you don’t even remember (and don’t care).
12 – At the cash desk, the payment terminal finally displays the holy message: “payment confirmed”.
13 – And that’s basically how you left the store.
And you, what was your reaction to the Balmain x H&M launch?
H&M x Balmain causes mayhem.
The storm is over. The endless lines have dissolved, the clothes have been ripped off the hangers, the bank accounts and the nervous systems have been shattered. The Balmain x H&M took place yesterday, leaving one half of the shoppers bitter sweet and the other, well, just plain bitter. But now when the whole hysteria is subsidizing (or has moved to the virtual world of eBay, as we discuss later), we can finally sit down and talk about the whole thing like adults.
Let’s start with those lines, shall we? People started queueing for the anticipated collection the night before (3 days before in Singapore, earning them the price for the most, how can we phrase it better, keen?). This made for a rare opportunity to witness someone dressed in branded hoodies and sneakers sitting on the checked blanket just off the Regents street. Seduced by the extensive social media campaign involving models Kendall Jenner, Gigi Handid and Jourdan Dunn, the shoppers were impatiently waiting for the shop doors to reveal the subject of their longing. “We came 11 hours in advance”, shares Yaroslava Kurbatova, who went to the H&M branch at Oxford Circus. “It was horrible”, remembers Alina Portnova, who was in the same queue. “We waited the whole night, and there wasn’t even any security in the store! Then they let us in for 10 minutes, everyone was kicking each other, arguing”. Bradley Gudger experienced the same level of concern. “It was my first time shopping for the H&M collaboration – normally I get my friends to shop for me”, says Bradley. “I shopped at the Oxford Circus H&M – I felt the queueing system was badly organised, very little instruction about opening times, item restrictions and stock. There was very little security available to manage it”.
The aggressive behaviour and the lack of control over the situation, despite the presence of the police, is extremely worrying. The pictures all over the web, depicting happy shoppers who managed to snap a successful buy, are mixed with the videos of fights in the changing rooms and chaos on the shopping floor. No wonder the comment sections are raging with oligations like “animals” or “crazy people”.
But it is important to look at the bright side too, which always exists, even in this couture infused mess. The collaboration proved as successful or even more (it is pretty difficult to tell, since H&M representatives refuse to reveal any official figures) than the previous ones. The whole range was sold just in a couple of hours, and of course, it is not a real party if the website does not crash (which it did). For a brand who was on the verge of bankruptcy just some five years ago, this demand is really good news, and a testament to Olivier Rousteing’s talent. “I went to the H&M Balmain because I loved the design of the clothes. The exclusivity of the brand for the affordable prices was also a big selling point for me”, says Bradley. Moreover, the lucky shoppers did manage to snap the desired pieces for a quarter of the original Balmain three figures price. Some happy souls even managed to find humour in the whole situation. “I was with my friends, so it was fun. It will be a fun thing to remember”, says Alina. “I bought a dress, two T-shirts, a belt and trousers. I really wanted the trousers, so it was worth it for me”. What goes around, comes around: no one held back from sharing (read: bragging) their purchases on the social media.
But things get tricky again. The more entrepreneur spirited individuals rushed down to eBay, to resell the pieces for the triple of the price than in the store. For example, the £119.99 green sequin embroidered dress is going down for £330 with 41 bids already placed. Other smart fellows were cocky enough to resell the items on the streets, cash first. And of course with the 200% service charge. This proves utterly befuddling, considering the eBay prices now nearly match, or in some cases exceed the Balmain’s own high figures.
Therefore, here comes the conclusion: even though you (just like all of us) really want to look like the models from the Olivier Rousteing’s Instagram, skip browsing on eBay and go to the gym. And when you come back, head straight to Mr Porter. Trust us, authentic Balmain will not disappoint.
