Isabelle Ballu was born in Redon, France in 1967. She studied Visual Arts at the Bercot Institute in Paris from 1985 to 1987.
Though she had no formal training in fashion, Isabelle Ballu had used her visual arts training to create shapes and figures, her strength as a designer. She is a master in creating new and novel shapes.
She started her fashion career by launching a swimwear line in 1990 in Paris. This was quite successful, so she started womenswear in 1994.
She was the recipient of an Andam Scholarship in 1998 which helped her to develop her house.
Through her visual arts training, Isabelle creates new and novel shapes for her garments. Her 2000 collection was called "Maxi Brides" and featured giant fibulae (safety pins) at the back of the frocks.