PARIS (AP) — Designer Olivier Rousteing is stepping down as creative director of the Balmain fashion house after 14 hugely visible years in which he fused the rigor of Parisian tailoring with a digital-age sense of celebrity, he announced Wednesday.

“Today marks the end of my Balmain era,” Rousteing, 40, wrote on Instagram. “What an extraordinary story it has been — a love story, a life story ... I will always hold this treasured time close to my heart."

Balmain confirmed Rousteing's departure and said in a statement that a new creative direction would be announced “in due course.”

“Throughout his remarkable 14-year tenure, Olivier’s visionary approach and creative brilliance propelled Balmain to unprecedented heights," the label said.

Rousteing, who became creative director in 2011 at

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