Balmain’s chief designer Olivier Rousteing has hailed Rihanna as the new “top model”

OHMYGOSSIP — Olivier Rousteing, the creative director at Balmain, has hailed Rihanna as the “top model” of a new generation. The French fashion house’s creative director, Olivier Rousteing, has labelled the ‘Rude Boy’ hitmaker as the Cindy Crawford of the new generation after working with her on the luxury label’s spring/summer 2014 campaign.

Speaking of his collaboration with Rihanna – who posed for the brand in an off-the-shoulder denim top complete with gold hardware – Olivier told The Independent newspaper: “When you look at an old Versace show, you loved the dress, but you loved Claudia Schiffer, you loved Cindy Crawford. Supermodels! With Rihanna you get that, too.

“Today people are looking at Rihanna like they were looking at Naomi Campbell or Claudia … nobody wants to be a model, everybody wants to be a singer. That’s the new dream. I think having Rihanna in the campaign is like having Cindy Crawford or Christy Turlington, but for my generation.

“I love seeing a woman, the feeling of a model, a top model.”

The 28-year-old designer also admitted that unlike the other heads of prominent fashion houses he is happy to see copies of his high-end designs on the high street.

He told Vogue.co.uk: “I think it was Coco Chanel who said if you’re original, be ready to be copied,

“I love seeing a Zara window with my clothes mixed with Céline and Proenza! I think that’s genius. It’s even better than what I do! I love the styling, I love the story … I watch the windows always, and it’s genius what they do today. They go fast, they have a great sense of styling and how to pick up what they have to pick up from designers.”