Balmain creative director Olivier Rousteing took to Instagram on Saturday to share an image of himself wrapped in bandages, with obvious burn wounds on his face, revealing that he had been hiding serious injuries that he sustained in a fire a year ago.
The 36-year-old designer, who recently celebrated his 10th anniversary with Balmain, said he had been “hiding this for too long” but that he was “finally ready to share” his experience.
He starts off by sharing that the injuries came about after the fireplace inside his home in Paris exploded, and added that the morning after the incident, he woke up in hospital.
“I woke up the next morning in Paris’ Hôpital Saint Louis. The talented staff at that famous hospital, which was dealing with an incredible number of Covid-19 cases at that same time, took amazing care of me,” said Rousteing.
He admits that he kept his injuries a secret and from his friends and that he felt ashamed.
“I did everything to hide this story, from as many people as possible, and trying to keep the secret with my teams and friends for too long,” he said.
He continues by saying: “To be honest I am not really sure why I was so ashamed, maybe this obsession with perfection that fashion is known for and my own insecurities … ”
In the post he reveals he hid his scars with face masks, turtlenecks, long sleeves, and multiple rings.
A year on and he says that he is “healed, happy and healthy.”
“I realise how truly blessed I am and I thank God everyday of my life,” he said.
On his latest collection, he remarks: “My last show was about the celebration of healing over pain and I thank all the models, the production team, my Balmain family, my friends that came and supported not only my 10 years of Balmain, but my rebirth.”
He ends the message by thanking all those who supported him during the year.
“To the doctors and nurses at Saint Louis, and to all those who helped me during this long recovery and kept my secret: a profound thank you. I love you.”