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Olivier Rousteing has been appointed Creative Director of Rabanne. His first pre-fall collection for the house will be unveiled in November, with his runway debut scheduled for Paris Fashion Week in March 2027.
He succeeds Julien Dossena at the Puig-owned fashion and fragrance house after leading Balmain for 14 years.
During Dossena’s tenure, Rabanne experienced a period of growth and increased international visibility while evolving its use of metallic materials and futuristic design codes.
Rousteing became Balmain’s Creative Director in 2011 at the age of 25, where he oversaw the expansion of the brand’s collaborations and fragrance business while strengthening its presence through celebrity partnerships and social media.
His November pre-fall collection will provide the first indication of his direction for Rabanne, ahead of his first runway presentation in Paris in March 2027.
The 40-year-old French designer said Paco Rabanne’s experimental approach had long influenced his own work, particularly his interest in unconventional materials.
“What is most impressive about Paco Rabanne is that in the ’60s and ’70s, he was pushing boundaries,” Rousteing told WWD. “Everybody at that time was doing gowns, so it was a revolution to actually think metal could be a dress, that PVC could be a dress.”
Rousteing’s appointment forms part of Puig’s strategy to further develop Rabanne across both fashion and beauty, with plans to expand product categories and strengthen coordination between the two areas of the business.
“There will be one story line: Fashion and beauty meets each other, that’s gonna be my role,” Rousteing said.
Fragrance remains a significant part of Rabanne’s business, with brands including 1 Million, Invictus, Black XS and Phantom. Rousteing also brings experience in the category from Balmain, where he oversaw the 2024 launch of Les Éternels de Balmain, an eight-fragrance collection produced under licence by Estée Lauder.
Ana Trias, President of Prestige & Fashion Brands at Puig, said the group would take a “steady and sustainable” approach to Rabanne’s long-term development. She said priorities include measured retail expansion, continued support for wholesale partners, international growth and the development of additional fashion categories.
Puig acquired the Paco Rabanne business in 1987. In 2023, the company shortened the brand’s name to Rabanne as part of a strategy to align its fashion and fragrance businesses under a single identity.