Balmain Supported 16 Black Actresses Making a Statement About Racial Inclusivity at Cannes

Women Wear Balmain at the Cannes Film Festival 2018

(Image credit: Getty Images)

This year, the steps at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival has served as a place for protests and dissent. Over the weekend, Cate Blanchett led an 82-women #MeToo protest on the red carpet and just yesterday, 16 black actresses gathered around French actress Aïssa Maïga to make a statement of their own.

The women—including Nadège Beausson-Diagne, Mata Gabin, Maïmouna Gueye, Eye Haidara, Rachel Khan, Sara Martins, Marie-Philomène Nga, Sabine Pakora, Firmine Richard, Sonia Rolland, Magaajyia Silberfeld, Shirley Souagnon, Assa Sylla, Karidja Touré, and France Zobda, and Aïssa Maïga—all dressed in Balmain, wanted to call attention to their multimedia project “Noire N’est Pas Mon Metier,” which translated means, “Black Is Not My Profession.” The work aims to expose and denounce the discrimination black women face in the French and American entertainment industries.

Maïga had approached Olivier Rousteing of Balmain to create all their outfits, which he was on board with. Rousteing said he recognized the discrimination the women have faced and wanted to express his support for their project.

See all the powerful imagery below.

The Best Looks From the 2018 Cannes Film Festival

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Marina Liao is the former fashion news editor at Marie Claire, where she covered celebrity style (from Meghan Markle to Katie Holmes), fashion trends, and shopping advice, plus conducted original interviews with industry insiders. She's now the Senior Commerce Editor at House Beautiful, where she owns coverage on deals and sales across home decor and accessories, in-depth product reviews on furniture and appliances, as well as news around new product launches since 2023. With help from leading designers and tastemakers, Marina spotlights quality products while tracking current design trends, a skill she’s mastered over six years in fashion media. Marina holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Stony Brook University, beginning her career in narrative-driven commerce coverage as an editorial assistant at PopSugar.