Olivier Rousteing has finally arrived at the house he fell in love with at twelve years old, and he is already threatening to take it “to the moon.” Named Creative director of Rabanne in succession to Julien Dossena, the 40-year-old will unveil a Pre-Fall collection in November before his runway debut in March 2027 – his first real test of whether Balmain’s spectacle can survive contact with Rabanne’s metal-and-mesh universe.
Rousteing traces his connection to the house back to a television documentary he watched as a 12-year-old in his grandparents’ living room in Bordeaux. He saw Françoise Hardy, Brigitte Bardot, and Audrey Hepburn dressed in Paco Rabanne’s metallic, space-age creations, and something clicked. “I remember thinking, ‘Are these dresses, or are they superheroes?‘” he said in a recent interview, recalling how wide his eyes went at the sight.
This early fascination with materials rather than silhouettes alone shapes how Rousteing talks about his new role today. When asked where he wants to take the Puig-owned house, he grinned and answered simply, “To the moon.”
Rousteing built his reputation at Balmain on spectacle, strong shoulders, and a willingness to experiment with unconventional fabrics. Therefore, his description of Rabanne as a kindred spirit makes sense. “I always try to see fashion as a laboratory,” he explained. “What is most impressive about Paco Rabanne is that, in the ’60s and ’70s, he pushed boundaries. Everyone at that time was making gowns, so it was revolutionary to think that metal or PVC could be used for dresses.“
Rousteing calls the late designer, who died in 2023 at age 88, a dreamer and an outsider who refused to fit into any predictable category. Paco Rabanne launched his label in 1966 with a now-famous collection titled “12 Experimental and Unwearable Dresses in Contemporary Materials,” and the metal mesh, chain links, and hole-punched discs from that era remain the brand’s visual shorthand today.
In 1987, Puig acquired the label and shortened its name to Rabanne. In 2026, Puig confirmed Rousteing’s appointment, promising in a short statement that the house would “continue to expand its universe through new product categories, further shaping a comprehensive ecosystem where fashion, beauty, and innovation exist in constant dialogue.”
Rousteing follows Julien Dossena, whose 13-year tenure at Rabanne earned him credit for reviving the brand’s avant-garde identity for a new generation. Ana Trias, Puig’s president of prestige and fashion brands, praised that legacy while framing Rousteing’s arrival as a natural next step. “Olivier shares that same fearless spirit, making him a natural choice to lead this next chapter,” she told WWD. She added that he enters the house “from a position of strength” built by years of careful leadership.
Rumors about the move had circulated for weeks before the official confirmation. As early as May, French and Italian trade outlets reported that Rousteing was quietly working on Rabanne collections. Dossena’s exit in June only intensified the speculation.
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Puig has real financial reasons to bet on Rousteing. In 2023, Rabanne became the first Puig brand to surpass one billion euros in sales, largely due to fragrances such as 1 Million, Invictus, and Fame. Fashion remains a smaller part of the company’s business, but Puig executives view it as essential to the brand’s identity. TD Cowen analyst Oliver Chen summed up that logic plainly: “Fragrance is about storytelling, and fashion provides inspiration. You either have it or you don’t, but either way, it has to be cool.“
Rousteing brings his considerable following into the equation. He has 9.4 million Instagram followers, compared with Rabanne’s 1.9 million. He presided over a tenfold increase in revenue during his years at Balmain – he left the House in november 2025. He also has recent goodwill to draw on after dressing Beyoncé in a striking, skeleton-inspired gown for the Met Gala in May. He described that project with visible emotion: “It gave me a lot of strength to come back to Paris, knowing that I can make it,” he said.
Rousteing has already scented his new office with an unreleased Rabanne fragrance, hinting at his plans to work across fashion and beauty. “There will be one storyline: Fashion and beauty meet, and that will be my role,” he said. He recalled that his grandfather wore Rabanne’s XS cologne when he was young. “I remember stealing it from my granddad because I loved the smell.“
Before touching a single dress in the archives, Rousteing is settling into his new surroundings on Rue François-1er, which overlooks Avenue Montaigne. He is even considering redesigning his office. “I’m thinking of black carpeting,” he mused, sounding more like a man moving into a new apartment than a man preparing to reshape a fashion house. No matter what direction he takes Rabanne in, his first Pre-Fall collection in November will offer the clearest indication yet of what “to the moon” actually looks like in metal and mesh.