Balmain Design and its iconic jackets. When Paris was liberated in August 1944, Pierre Balmain decided it was time to open his fashion house. Quickly setting up his studio in a recently liberated space at 44 Rue de François Premier, he began producing collections that would define French fashion. Balmain's dresses and garments are driven by boldness and a distinctive perspective that translates into an extraordinarily fresh and feminine vision.