Olivier Rousteing was raised in Bordeaux and studied fashion at ESMOD in Paris. At 18, he moved to Italy, where he worked at Roberto Cavalli, beginning as an intern and rising steadily through the ranks to be named Designer for the men’s and women’s ready-to-wear collections. When the opportunity arose for him to return to Paris to work at Balmain, Rousteing seized it, forming a part of the house’s design team for two years before being named Head of Design in 2011. He is now Balmain’s Creative Director.