Today, Beats by Dre — which counts Oscar de la Renta, Fendi, Alexander Wang and Hello Kitty among its former design partners — released a new, very fashiony set of headphones, this time with the help of Balmain’s Olivier Rousteing. “My connection with them began when they came to my show four years ago,” Rousteing told Vogue. “What they love about Balmain is that I embrace music. We’ve always had an idea of making something happen together.”
The collab features two special edition headphones. The first is a Balmain-ified version of Beats by Dre’s ubiquitous over-ear Studio Wireless headphones, the second is a luxe version of the gym-ready Powerbeats3 Wireless earphones. Each is available in “Safari” (the French fashion house’s signature tannish-gold) or “Khaki” (aka #BalmainArmy green); each comes in a suede case embossed with the Balmain logo.
Balmain Special Edition Beats Studio Wireless Headphones, $599.95 at Apple.com; Image: Balmain
For the accompanying Balmain x Beats by Dre campaign, Rousteing tapped hip hop lover and Balmain Army recruit Kylie Jenner. Why not a pop artist, you ask? “Beats is so connected to today’s younger generation and [Kylie] is a great symbol of that generation,” the designer told Refinery29. “She reflects their values and how they live today, with her honesty and her frank willingness to enjoy life. I am always struck by her genuineness — she expresses the values of today’s youth as well as any musician I could have chosen. Besides, she’s beautiful and incredibly professional — I knew she would do a great job representing a project that is so important to me.” (It seems Rousteing was hoping to cash in on the Kylie Jenner effect.)
Balmain Special Edition Powerbeats3 Wireless Headphones, $249.95 at Apple.com; Image: Balmain
The Balmain Special Edition Beats Studio Wireless ($599.95) and Powerbeats3 Wireless ($249.95) are now available to shop on Apple.com, Balmain.com and at Balmain’s New York and Los Angeles stores. If you’re anything like Rousteing, you’ll use them to jam out to Michael Jackson. (“They Don’t Care About Us” is his favorite song.)
Image: Balmain
[ via Vogue ]
