Cher Is the Newest Face of Balmain

June 2024 · 3 minute read

Balmain is getting a major dose of Cher. The storied Parisian line, known for creating super-sexy red carpet dresses and dressing just about every Kardashian around, enlisted Cher to front its new Blaze collection of leather bags. The iconic singer, actress, and philanthropist stars in Balmain's latest campaign, which introduces the bag in a few silhouettes and gives the superstar a chance to flex her modeling chops. Obviously, she nails every pose while clad in body-hugging leather looks paired with her signature long hair.

Balmain’s current creative director, Olivier Rousteing, explains that the bag is meant to bring together Baroque details with the brand's values of inclusion. Balmain is the brand that invited thousands of "normal" people to a runway show, after all, so it makes sense that Cher, someone also known to bring together just about everyone, to be involved. The designer went on to say that the bags are designed to make an entrance — and if anyone knows something about that, it's Cher. She even had a cameo during the brand's show at Paris Fashion Week back in September.

“More than anything else, I wanted the Blaze to be a bag that was definitely going to be noticed,” Rousteing said in a press release. “As I explained to my team, I imagined these bags as being key components of the boldest entrances. For me, these designs evoke the impressive shields carried by the fearless superheroes of my youth — and I really love the idea of our Balmain Blaze adding an empowering sensation of invincibility as the perfect final touch for every ensemble.”

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Rousteing noted that Cher has managed to define culture for decades and that she has a long history of being a trailblazer, something that the Balmain brand aligns with, not only by including the general public to its shows, but also by enlisting models of all shapes and sizes to walk in its seasonal collections.

“Obviously, Cher’s history of successes, records, awards, activism, and culturally defining moments makes it clear that she perfectly embodies the term trailblazer,” Rousteing adds. “She’s been a daring pioneer for six decades, never slowing down and always pulling us along with her, as she marches forward. She may have been crowned as the ‘Goddess of Pop,’ but she’s shown us that she can rule every possible musical genre — from folk to stadium rock — while somehow managing to move us to tears in her dramatic roles and, when she opts for comedy, making us laugh like nobody else can. ‘Style Icon’ doesn’t come close to describing her achievement of defining more than a half-century’s worth of fashion’s trends. And, in this challenging era, when we are compelled to fight for long-overdue changes, Cher’s impressive, long-term commitment to dedicated activism is definitely an example to all of us.”

In addition to starring in the campaign, Cher stars in the brand's new video, which offers up some very Cher ways to style the Blaze line.

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