Estée Lauder to launch Balmain Beauty, new license and more added to Jessel's role

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Sep 26, 2022

Estée Lauder Companies has a high-profile fashion label license to add to its portfolio. On Monday it announced a license deal with Balmain to “collaboratively develop, produce, and distribute an innovative line of beauty products that will speak to luxury consumers around the world”.

The first fruits of the Balmain Beauty deal will debut in autumn 2024, “with the goal to transform the luxury and couture beauty world through exceptional design, singular craftsmanship, and an unyielding commitment to innovation”.

Pierre Balmain founded the fashion house in 1945 but it has been revived and transformed since 2011 when Olivier Rousteing took the creative helm. He mixed a nod to the archives with a forward-looking new spin that was all about high-octane glamour, interesting cuts, and future-focused details. He frequently mixes traditional couture with new ideas, such as the collab unveiled last week with Evian that saw the creation of a couture dress using material from recycled water bottles.

Lauder, which was founded only a year after Balmain, is best known as a pureplay beauty brand specialist rather than one that links with fashion labels. But successful link-ups with Tom Ford and previously with Victoria Beckham (and others) illustrate that its fashion brand expertise is far from unproven.

Olivier Rousteing explained the choice of Lauder as beauty partner: “For over 10 years, my Balmain team and I have been pushing the boundaries of what is possible in fashion. We’ve been determined to reflect the way that today’s diverse generation wishes to live and dress. So, obviously, there was no way that we were going to expand into beauty without ensuring that we had found the partner who understood and shared our outlook. From the very beginning, the team at The Estée Lauder Companies made it very clear that they support Balmain’s distinctive vision, as well as our goal of disrupting the global luxury beauty paradigm. Knowing that — and knowing that Estée Lauder is the paragon of excellence — well, I can’t wait to start working with them.”

As part of the new move, Guillaume Jesel — who had been Global President of Tom Ford Beauty — has been named President, Global Brands, Tom Ford Beauty, Balmain Beauty and Luxury Business Development, effective immediately. 

He said: “Balmain and Olivier Rousteing are visionary forces in global fashion. We look forward to working with them to expand the Balmain universe and forge a new space in luxury beauty that clearly reflects the strong, inclusive, and fearless spirit of the brand.”