A virtual journey into the mind of one of fashion’s most radical creative directors

When Olivier Rousteing was appointed as the new creative director of Balmain, he became the youngest designer to lead a Parisian fashion house since Yves Saint Laurent. Since then, Rousteing has consistently challenged fashion norms. His willingness to embrace innovative collaborations and technology has not only revitalised the Balmain label but also played a crucial role in his mission to democratise the industry.

During an explorative discussion around potential projects, virtual reality emerged as a creative canvas he was genuinely excited to explore.

At that point, most fashion houses had only used virtual reality to give people a window into a world they wouldn’t normally be able to see – like a runway show. But I wanted to push the technology to create something only possible with VR.

Made in collaboration with award-winning visual-effects studio MPC, My City of Lights takes viewers on a virtual journey into Rousteing’s mind, a metaphorical experience that reimagines what he thinks and feels while designing a new collection.

Inspired by an interview with Rousteing, My City of Lights translates his emotional and creative process into a series of surreal virtual environments. During this journey, viewers are guided by a 3D-soundscape created by Res.Lab. This intimate audio combines interview snippets, soundbites and poetry performed by Rousteing – to give the impression of being inside his mind.

As a fashion brand, it was also essential for Balmain that the physical experience lived up to the virtual one. So Rousteing worked with Oculus to design a unique couture headset. This first-of-its-kind collaboration ensured My City of Lights was a luxury experience from the outside-in.

My City of Lights launched as part of Salone Del Mobile (Milan Design Week) within the newly opened Balmain store. To host the experience, we built a custom installation, which blurred the boundaries between the physical and virtual worlds.

In just four days, it had 3.5M+ social impressions and an exclusive feature on Vogue.com. Following its Milan debut, the experience has now toured Europe, North America and Asia.


In September, My City of Lights found its biggest audience yet, when Rousteing decided to incorporate it into his SS19 show. This was part of a groundbreaking 360º live broadcast we produced in partnership with Oculus.