We’re shedding shredded tears: Christophe Decarnin steps down at Balmain

Photography by Foc Kan/WireImage
Photography by Foc Kan/WireImage

It has been announced that after five years with the Parisian fashion house, Decarnin is leaving his post at Balmain, with a successor being announced later today.

Decarnin is often credited with bringing new life and a new legacy to the brand, with his glitzy mini-dresses, sharp shoulders, military jackets⎯and sky-high price tags, with shredded cotton tees often nearing the $2,000 mark, during the height of the recession.

After reports that Decarnin had been institutionalized for depression, following Balmain’s recent show in Paris, the designer’s future at the brand become unclear, particularly when the news broke that the show’s stylist, Melanie Ward had a hand at designing the majority of the collection.

However, reps for Balmain have denied the change comes strictly from Decarnin’s personal issues⎯the designer had been butting heads with CEO of the house, Alain Hivelin, over the potential addition of a diffusion line, which Decarnin was opposed to.

While it’s sad that this shake-up came out of personal struggle, we’re looking forward to a reinvigoration of the brand⎯the designer’s range was being questioned after his trashy glam aesthetic lingered a little too long after Balmainia had hit its fever pitch in 2009.

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