In a recent Instagram post, the creative director of the French luxury fashion house shared his traumatic experience as a burn survivor and the arduous mental and physical recovery he went through in the past year.
The famed creative director of the French luxury house for a decade and counting, Olivier Rousteing proved to be a true menace when it came to introducing a progressive kind of bold and audacity in the fashion oeuvre of the Parisian couture house amidst all the backlash and hate from the public, and he did it all as the first Black director to lead the historic house.
But life can still throw a huge curve ball at the most successful people sometimes. Just yesterday, Rousteing shocked the world when he took to Instagram to share a post about how he sustained serious burn injuries in October last year after a fireplace exploded at his home in Paris.
Read more: Exclusive: Olivier Rousteing on the All-New Balmain x Chivas XV Collection
Posting an image on Instagram of his entirely bandaged upper body and swollen face which was taken right after leaving the hospital, Rousteing wrote about the amount of courage he had to pick up to reveal the news. “I finally feel ready to share this. I’ve been hiding this for too long and it’s time for you to know,” said the fashion director.
Along with details about the accident itself, he went on to show his sincerest gratitude to the hospital staff that aided him in his recovery. “I woke up the next morning in Paris’s Hôpital Saint-Louis. The talented staff at that famous hospital, which was dealing with an incredible number of Covid cases at that same time, took amazing care of me. I cannot thank them enough,” he continued.
In case you missed it: Karl Lagerfeld, Balmain and More: 10 Best H&M Collaborations With Fashion Designers
Throughout his recovery, he pushed on in his work to create new collections whilst donning face masks, turtlenecks, long sleeves and rings on his fingers to hide the burns in many of his interviews and photoshoots.
Although Rousteing stated how this experience challenged his obsession with perfection in fashion and his own insecurities, he explains how his physical recovery worked in tandem with his mental health and happiness, with a message stating, “Now, a year later—healed, happy and healthy.”
With his post, Rousteing shared that he wished to turn this traumatic incident into something positive and he hoped to inspire the public with the attitude of self-love, gratitude for the people around us, and creativity out of the ashes of trauma. “Today, I feel so free, so good and so lucky,” he wrote. “I’m beginning a new chapter with a smile on my face and a heart full of gratitude.”
NOW READ
The Best Runway Looks From Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2022
5 of Our Favourite Moments from Blackpink Jisoo’s Visit to Dior’s Paris Maison