Anna Wintour and other VIPs joined Balmain’s FROW on TV screens

Fashion week is happening (sort of) in Paris right now – with some brands having IRL shows and others showing digitally. Combining the two in an unexpected way was Balmain, which last night presented its SS21 collection with a very different looking front row. 

Models walked out onto the runway not to an actual audience, but to three rows of benches with TV screens on. Encased in plastic, the screens each showed a different guest, beamed in live to watch the show digitally from wherever they were in the world. Anna Wintour was there (obviously), as was Momager in chief Kris Jenner. Cara Delevingne took great delight in filming the show on her phone, while Megan Thee Stallion also put in an appearance.  

“As my team and I worked out how we could reimagine Paris Fashion Week, we kept focusing on how we were going to seat our far-away friends in tonight’s show,” said designer Olivier Rousteing, who shouted out tech brand LG for setting up the mega stream. “If our friends can’t be physically here to share this with us, we thank LG for bringing the audience to life.”

“Just like the runway and seating, many of this evening’s designs reflect our new reality,” Rousteing continued – like the Zoom-appropriate outfit of a blazer and biker shorts.

Watch the full show below: