We Speak Fashion

Olivier Rousteing Takes the Reins at Rabanne, Succeeding Julien Dossena After 13 Years

Published

3 months ago

July 14, 2026

One of Paris fashion’s longest designer runs is giving way to one of its best-known names. Puig-owned Rabanne announced on July 14, 2026, that Olivier Rousteing will become the house’s creative director, succeeding Julien Dossena, whose departure after 13 years at the house had been announced on June 24, 2026.

The handover comes with a clear runway calendar. Rousteing will present his first pre-fall collection for the house in November 2026, followed by his debut runway show at Paris Fashion Week in March 2027, and Puig plans to keep expanding Rabanne into new product categories while strengthening the link between fashion, beauty and innovation. “Joining Rabanne is a tremendous honor,” Rousteing said in the announcement. “This is a house that has always challenged convention, transforming bold ideas into creations that have shaped fashion history. Its spirit of innovation, craftsmanship, and fearless creativity has inspired generations, and today it inspires me.” Ana Trias, Puig’s president of Prestige & Fashion Brands, said: “Olivier Rousteing’s creative vision is bold, magnetic, and deeply connected to the energy of today. His unique ability to create fashion that celebrates confidence, and self-expression makes him a natural choice for Rabanne.”

Rousteing arrives after 14 years at Balmain, which he left in November 2025. Appointed there in 2011 at age 25, he was the youngest replacement designer to lead a major Paris house since Yves Saint Laurent took over Dior, and the first Black designer to lead a French house. According to Vogue’s figures, he grew Balmain’s annual revenue roughly tenfold, from €30.4 million in 2012 to an estimated €300 million in 2024; his 2015 H&M collaboration sold out within hours, and in 2023 he launched Balmain beauty and fragrance with Estée Lauder.

Speaking to WWD, Rousteing pointed to Paco Rabanne’s own boundary-pushing as the draw — “in the ’60s and ’70s, he was pushing boundaries… it was a revolution to actually think metal could be a dress, that PVC could be a dress” — and described his Rabanne brief as one storyline where “fashion and beauty meets each other.” A house built on chainmail and experimentation now passes to a designer who built his name on spectacle: the fit, on paper, is exact.

We Speak Fashion

L’Oréal Powers Past the Beauty Market: €35.33 Billion in Nine Months as Salon and Derm Brands Lead

Published

4 days ago

October 22, 2026

We Speak Media

The world’s largest beauty company is growing faster than the market it leads. L’Oréal reported sales of €35.33 billion for the first nine months of 2026, up 6.9% like-for-like and 7.7% as reported, in a statement released on October 22. Third-quarter sales reached €11.56 billion, up 7.2% like-for-like.

CEO Nicolas Hieronimus called it “an exceptional third quarter,” saying the global beauty market “once again proved its resilience” and that L’Oréal “continued to significantly outpace it” — company commentary put the wider market’s growth at roughly 5% for the quarter.

The quarter’s heavy lifting came from the group’s two professional-facing divisions. Professional Products — home to Kérastase, Redken and L’Oréal Professionnel — sold €1,469.1 million in Q3, up 12.1% like-for-like, while Dermatological Beauty (La Roche-Posay, CeraVe, SkinCeuticals) sold €1,871.6 million, up 12.2%. L’Oréal Luxe added €4,176.6 million (+6.4%) and Consumer Products €4,044.3 million (+4.3%), as fragrances and haircare drove growth, skincare continued to accelerate, and e-commerce sales grew around 17% — well ahead of the online beauty market.

The brand highlights told the same story. Kérastase grew double-digit, powered by Gloss Absolu, Genesis and Chronologiste; La Roche-Posay launched Mela B3 Double-Dose and Anthelios UV Air; Yves Saint Laurent’s Libre and MYSLF fragrances grew double-digit; and the newly acquired fragrance house Creed performed strongly.

Regionally, SAPMENA-SSA was the standout at +19.2% like-for-like, followed by Europe at +9.9% and North Asia at +7.8%; North America grew 2.2% (5.6% adjusted), and Latin America was the only region to decline, down 1.0%. During the period L’Oréal also closed its acquisition of a majority stake in Innovist, a digital-first Indian personal care house of brands — a results statement that underlines a simple point: at €35 billion in nine months, L’Oréal is not just leading the beauty business, it is widening the gap.