Antonin Tron’s Balmain Takes Flight

It’s a new dawn at Balmain.

Just one week after announcing Olivier Rousteing’s departure after an astounding 14-year run as creative director in November, the brand revealed fellow French designer Antonin Tron would succeed him. He’s perhaps best known for his own brand, Atlein, which is renowned for its slinky draping and close-to-the-body fits in minimal colorways and was a finalist for the 2017 LVMH Prize. (It caught the eye of one Kylie Jenner, who tapped Tron to collaborate with her on a capsule for Khy.) He’s been a constant presence in the ateliers of some of the biggest French luxury houses, having worked for Louis Vuitton, Givenchy, Balenciaga, and Saint Laurent. (He’s put Atlein on hold to focus entirely on Balmain.)

Upon entering the venue, Tron communicated to guests that his signature draping would be a part of this new creative chapter. Guests walked in through a sheer white curtain, knotted and cascading into easy ripples down to the floor; this continued down one side of the set, across from where spectators were seated in neat rows of wooden benches.

In an interview with Vogue’s Nicole Phelps, Tron said his take on the brand is informed by Pierre Balmain himself — not only his designs, but his life story. He looked to the archives, as well as Mr. Balmain’s autobiography, My Years and Seasons. Speaking to press backstage after the show, Tron said two gowns dating back to 1946, a year after Mr. Balmain founded the brand, were a starting point. “I was really shocked [by] how restrained and sensual they were,” he said. “There was a sense of controlled opulence to them.” Those designs are reinterpreted in the Fall 2026 collection, in the dramatically low-cut long-sleeved dresses that reveal contrasting animal-print bandeaus.

The fauna-inspired patterns seen throughout are another reference to Mr. Balmain: “There’s this picture of his apartment in Paris, this very bourgeois apartment with this giant zebra scheme.”

In his research, Tron also learned about some of Mr. Balmain’s original clients. The first look in the collection, a high-neck black leather peplum jacket, tapered trousers, and heels, is an homage of sorts to one of them: the first female pilot for Air France, who was outfitted in a Balmain uniform. It’s emblematic of the archetype he’s trying to dress. “She's in control of whatever she's doing,” he said. “She's very unapologetic about who she is.”

Hollywood is another touchpoint. Tron cited 1940s film noir heroines Mr. Balmain dressed, as well as movie stars from the ‘80s and ‘90s with an “almost Lynchian glamour… I mean, we had Naomi Watts here, so this is kind of perfect.”

The guiding principle of the Fall 2026 collection is “minimal opulence,” according to Tron. “Opulence” is a word that comes to mind when you think of Balmain, especially in the Rousteing era, with its elaborate beading and embellishments on its celebrity-beloved gowns. Tron is taking a more restrained approach that’s in dialogue with his predecessor’s work, particularly when it comes to silhouette. You see it in the strong shoulders, body-hugging fits, and sharp lines, which also call to mind Tron’s time at Anthony Vaccarello’s Saint Laurent. His, however, is more about rich textures: supple leathers, crushed velvets, sumptuous silks, and soft faux furs.

The newly instated creative director also put some of himself in the collection. An avid surfer, he revealed to Vogue that his accessories assortment, a category the brand hasn’t quite cracked just yet, includes a soft leather clutch inspired by the dry bags you’ll see people bring to the beach.

“For me, it's really important to establish a real deep connection with the house,” Tron said. “It’s a couture house that also sells ready-to-wear, so there's a long history of relationship with the clientele.” To have that be a through line is key not just to keep existing customers, he argued, but also to bring new ones into the fold.

Ahead, highlights from Balmain’s Fall/Winter 2026 show.