\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\tOlivier Rousteing<\/span><\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tZach Hilty\/BFA.com<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n \n\t\u201c\u200aI\u2019ve had the opportunity to wear his creations on several occasions, and the honor of working closely with Olivier,\u201d said Pope. \u201cOlivier, you are not just a designer. You are a trailblazer, a fearless creative force, unapologetically yourself in every space you\u2019ve been into. With relentless imagination and bold conviction, you\u2019ve not only redefined style. But you\u2019ve also reshaped the conversation around identity, beauty and belonging,\u201d Pope added. \u201cYou remind us, fashion isn\u2019t just about what we wear, it\u2019s about who we are and the future we dare to shape.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tOnstage, Rousteing recounted his journey to the helm of Balmain as a young 24-year-old designer, and the first Black man to lead a major Paris fashion house.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201c\u200aI became the example that I never had. Every mistake, every success, every moment of strength \u2014 and yes, every moment of fragility \u2014 helped me build a path, not only for myself, but for the generation would come after me,\u201d Rousteing told the crowd. \u201cTo the young people who follow me, who have dared to dream, I want you to look at me and see that dreams can come true.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThe House of Balmain stands for resilience, audacity and ambition. Values that reflect not only the maison, but my life,\u201d he added. \u201cThere are always obstacles, but it\u2019s good, because [through] obstacles we grow stronger, taking risks have always been my way forward. The greater the risk, the greater the reward.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tBefore a parting \u201cmerci,\u201d Rousteing offered the crowd a call to action.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201c\u200aToday, let me leave you with a wish,\u201d he said. \u201cBe confident, be proud of where you come from. Believe in your voice. Believe in your instinct. Believe in your story. No one, no one can take your dream away. Be disruptive. Be the pioneer of the work that you make.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" On Wednesday afternoon, the transition from summer to fall was on clear display at the FIT Couture Council Luncheon inside Lincoln Center\u2019s David H. Koch Theatre. Temperate weather brought out a range of cross-seasonal fashion trends, from tweed ensembles to colorful floral frocks, with a smattering of geometric prints and the occasional leopard print. The annual fundraiser, which benefits the Museum at FIT, was sponsored by Bloomingdale\u2019s and serves as an unofficial kick-off for the fall fashion season in New York. The crowd was eager to catch up ahead of the afternoon\u2019s main seated event, as guests including Martha Stewart, Gabriela Hearst, Ruben Toledo, Malan Breton, Nicole Miller, Jean Shafiroff, Julie Macklowe, Katherine Gage Boulud, Jamee Gregory and more mingled during cocktail hour on the outdoor balcony. Couture Council cochairs Stephanie Loeffler and Jane DeFlorio kicked off the lunch program before FIT president Joyce F. Brown delivered opening remarks about the 2025 Couture Council Award for Artistry of Fashion. This year\u2019s honor was presented to Balmain creative director Olivier Rousteing, who accepted the award during the main course after an introduction by actor Jeremy Pope. Olivier Rousteing Zach Hilty\/BFA.com \u201c\u200aI\u2019ve had the opportunity to wear his creations on several occasions, and the honor of working closely with Olivier,\u201d said Pope. \u201cOlivier, you are not just a designer. You are a trailblazer, a fearless creative force, unapologetically yourself in every space you\u2019ve been into. With relentless imagination and bold conviction, you\u2019ve not only redefined style. But you\u2019ve also reshaped the conversation around identity, beauty and belonging,\u201d Pope added. \u201cYou remind us, fashion isn\u2019t just about what we wear, it\u2019s about who we are and the future we dare to shape.\u201d Onstage, Rousteing recounted his journey to the helm of Balmain as a young 24-year-old designer, and the first Black man to lead a major Paris fashion house. \u201c\u200aI became the example that I …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5415,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5414"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5414"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5414\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5415"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5414"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5414"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5414"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Olivier](\"https:\/\/wwd.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/fit-couture-lunch-olivier.jpg?w=232\")
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