Pierre Balmain was born in 1914 in France. He studied at the Ecole des Beaux Arts, he went to work for the fashion designer Edward Molyneux between the years 1934-39. He opened his own fashion house in 1945 and created costumes and clothing for stars including Vivien Leigh and Katherine Hepburn. After his death the Balmain fashion house was ran by Danish designer Erik Mortenson.