Sergei Polunin Trades Dancewear in for Leather Pants in New Fashion Campaign

Joining all of the fashion month festivities is Sergei Polunin—but you won’t catch him walking down the runway. The dancer- turned-actor is dipping his toes into the modeling world as part of the campaign for Balmain’s Fall/Winter 2018 collection in designs by Olivier Rousteing (known for his embellished creations favored by celebrities like Beyoncé and Jennifer Lopez).

Polunin moves with (surprising) ease in a pair of shiny leather pants in a video clip that was later combined with other shorts from the campaign. Also appearing in campaign stills, shot by An Le, Polunin keeps the shiny pants, but swaps the rest of his look for a more muted shirt and embellished jacket. And while the delightfully creepy campaign isn’t like the dance-focused videos we’re used to seeing Polunin pop up in, we’re so excited to see another dancer starring in a major fashion campaign (remember Roberto Bolle‘s appearance in the Tod’s Spring/Summer 2018 collection?).

Polunin’s campaign with Balmain marks the second collaboration between the French fashion house and the ballet. Last summer, Rousteing generated buzz in the dance and fashion worlds when he designed the costumes for choreographer Sébastien Bertaud’s piece for Paris Opéra Ballet, Renaissance. And we hope Polunin’s new campaign means we can expect even more Balmain and ballet projects in the future.