WORDS: ON FRACTURE, THE BALMAIN & CHANNEL 4-POWERED MINISERIES.

In 1956, Pierre Balmain dressed Brigitte Bardot in Roger Vadim’s And God Created Woman. The following year, the French couturier collaborated with Michel Boisrond on the comedy La Parisienne, designing Bardot’s wardrobe once again. During his 37-year career, Pierre Balmain worked on the costumes for a multitude of ballet and theatre pieces, and he was responsible for the wardrobes of over fifty European and American studio productions. In that regard, filmmaking could be considered part of Balmain’s heritage. In 2021, Balmain’s creative director Olivier Rousteing created Fracture, a TV series in collaboration with Channel 4. If cinema and TV are similar yet distinct exercises, both require a dose of cinematographic flair.

At the premiere in Paris, Rousteing, exuding positive energy, welcomed masked guests to Le Royal Monceau’s lavish Katara private cinema (the show simultaneously premiered in Los Angeles). A supply of water bottles and popcorn cups as well as comfortable leather seats made the experience ever so agreeable. Prior to dimming the lights, Rousteing humbly addressed the audience. “Fracture is the story of and for our generation,” he stated during his introduction speech before thanking the house’s brilliant marketing team, and before exiting the premises to go back to his office. Workaholic much?

In a press release, Rousteing stated that the Balmain team and himself are “determined to always break down boundaries” and are constantly searching for “new and compelling ways to communicate with an ever-expanding audience.” The idea is fresh, surprising, and, well, ballsy. Olivier Rousteing is not only following in the footsteps of Pierre Balmain, but he is also elevating and diversifying his creative grammar the same way the late Karl Lagerfeld did with short films such as The Tale of a Fairy (2011), but make it Millennial.

The five-episode dramatic series was overseen by Lee Mason, Channel 4’s former commissioning editor and the mastermind behind hit shows It’s a Sin and End of the F***ing World, and Channel 4’s digital commissioning executive Thomas Pullen. Fracture’s stars are singer-songwriter Jesse Jo Stark, Riverdale’s actor Charles Melton, Tommy Dorfman who rose to fame in 2017 thanks to her portrayal of Ryan Shaver in Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why, as well as skateboarder, model and actress Ajani Russell. The show speaks to the youth, exploring issues relevant to Millennials and Gen Z, particularly gender identity. It deciphers the complexity of both romantic and sibling relationships and exalts the importance of friendship.

What was appealing about the series is the fact that the Balmain wardrobe (most of it came from the house’s AW21 collection), known to be fabulously flashy and outrageously glamorous, is taken out of any preconceived context. The clothes have never looked so real; they are believable. It was not about the millionairess who spends more cash on clothes than Santa Claus on our Christmas presents every year. There was a reassuring sense of normalcy to the styling, albeit some rather extravagant looks worn by Tommy Dorfman’s character, Ari, who stole the show one flamboyant outfit at a time. I found myself shamelessly uttering “Fab!” every time Dorfman appeared on the screen.

Jesse Jo Stark’s elfin voice is the common thread to the storyline as her character, Mya, becomes the artist she was meant to be. The songstress and actress is incidentally the daughter of Richard Stark, founder of uber cool jewellery brand Chrome Hearts, at which she serves as vice-president and designer.

Charles Melton’s character turns out to be a charming youngster named Noa living in “his” car yet wearing a cosy monogrammed knit costing probably well over a thousand dollars in real life. Far from being the most unpleasant sight – those abs had to be seen – Melton delivered what one could describe as a tantalising performance.

Ajani Russell’s character, Edie, takes on the role of a compass guiding Mya towards more confidence. She is the epitome of funny and benevolent, a sort of modern éminence grise who will do whatever it takes to support her friend. Of course, she ended up being as cool as one can be.

Those characters and their stories are somewhat relatable. As with many young people, they struggle with self-affirmation, all while being stuck in what seems to be an oneiric dimension, where time and space do not matter anymore – as it happens, the miniseries takes place in a shabby Los Angeles motel called Le Rêve [The Dream]. Fracture was evidently created for anyone who’s ever felt lost but remained, deep down, confident in their talent and their bright future.

The ending certainly left many in the room hungry for more. So, should you get into it? Why not? It is an enjoyable and easy-to-watch piece of entertainment.

Olivier Rousteing once revealed to me that if he hadn’t become a fashion designer, he would’ve loved to invent Netflix. Fracture, although on Channel 4, has the characteristic of many popular miniseries that captivated millions of households during the COVID-19 pandemic on streaming services.

PERFECT SCORE: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Watch Fracture here.