Givenchy x Polimoda - Tala El Hachache by talaelhachache

Fashion & History July 2022 Issue

TALA EL HACHACHE

"LUX IS

EAC

DETA

Hubert De

URY IN

AIL"

e Givenchy

CONTENTS

A WORD FROM THE PUBLISHER 10

STATE OF ART 28

BRAND DNA 30

TIMELINE 33

BRAND HISTORY: HUBERT DE GIVENCHY 41

BRAND HISTORY: JOHN GALLIANO 44

BRAND HISTORY: ALEXANDER MCQUEEN 47

BRAND HISTORY: JULIEN MACDONALD 50

BRAND HISTORY: OZWALD BOATENG 53

BRAND HISTORY: RICCARDO TSCI 58

BRAND HISTORY: CLARE WAIGHT KELLER 62

BRAND HISTORY: MATTHEW W. WILLIAMS 66

BIBLIOGRAPHY

A WORD FROM THE PUBLISHER This magazine has been created as part of my project at Polimoda Fashion School in Florence, Italy. I was specifically assigned to study and discover the history and changes behind the world of Givenchy. I will take you through a trip across history representing one of the most iconic brands that has marked itself as a luxury powerhouse over the years. Givenchy was, during its starting days, one of the most influential French Luxury brands that was a trendsetter and an initiator in its movements, designs, and techniques. Givenchy is considered to be one of the Maisons under the LVMH group acquired in 1988. The brand was recognized for its femininity, elegance, sophistication and French taste dedicated for a higher-end and older clientele. However, after the acquisition, there was a new strategy set to shift to another target audience for Givenchy but with that came many other changes. Various directors took charge of the Maison which inevitably shifted the initial direction of the brand and with every change came a new era. Throughout these pages, you will discover more about brand and its values through its DNA, history and collections. Moreover, you will further discover Givenchy’s communication strategies both online and offline. Initially, I would like to turn your attention to the cover page displaying the Bettina Blouse which is the first ever piece created by Givenchy. It felt only right to start off by paying homage to the design that initiated the brand’s success from its early days.

Tala El Hachache

ST O

TATE OF ART

COMPANY STRUCTURE

Givenchy SA - Société anonyme

LVMH SE - European Company

Renaud de Lesquen Matthew M. Williams CEO Givenchy Creative Director

Bernard Arnault Chairmain & CEO

Givenchy is recognized as a French company founded in 1952 & part of the LVMH conglomerate ever since 1988. Givenchy is registered as a Société Anonyme (French) or Anonymous society, SA. This means that it’s a limited company with anonymous shareholders that protects them and limits their risk to the capital invested. On the other hand, LVMH is a European Company, SE. This allows LVMH to be a public limited liability and operate and expand within European countries using a single set of rules.

Thom Walker Givenchy Makeup Creative Director

Antonio Belloni Group Managing Director

Looking at some of the key individuals between these two companies, currently, Givenchy is being managed by Renaud de Lesquen who is the brand’s CEO. Furthermore, Matthew M. Williams has taken the position of Givenchy’s Creative Director since 2020 and Thom Walker was just announced Givenchy Makeup Creative Director in 2022. As for LVMH, Bernard Arnault is the Chairman & CEO of the group with Antonio Belloni as the Group Managing Director.

MAISON'S LOGOS

Early days 1950s

1994-1995

One aspect of the brand’s DNA includes its logo. The Givenchy logo has been with the brand since its very beginning. Standing strong since the brand’s initiation, the founder’s surname was used as the label’s name up to this very date. Throughout the years, the entire logo has undergone some changes which include the colors and the shape of the symbol around the Givenchy name. At the beginning, the logo consisted simply of the name Givenchy. However, around 1994-1995, the label witnessed some changes where a symbol was added to the name represented as a square shape and four G letters carved out of it colored in gold with white background.

Beginning of 2000

However, in around the 2000, Givenchy witnessed another change where the four G letters were simply represented without an exterior mold and the colors of the entire logo was black and white. We can definitely say that within the recent years, the excessive use of the logo and its symbol have been printed and placed on many of Givenchy’s various products. This is a feature that wasn’t used in the previous years neither by Hubert nor some of the following successors; however, it could be said that this was evident when the brand started shifting towards a streetwear style rather than its previous classic looks.

Hubert De

Givenchy Founded Maison in Paris in 1952

Part of LVMH since 1988

Original HQ: 8 Rue Alfred de Vigny , Paris, France

Current HQ: 3 Avenue Georges V, Paris, France

CREATIVE DIRECTORS

Hubert De Givenchy 1952-1995

John Galliano 1995-1996

Alexander McQueen 1996-2001

Julien Macdonald 2001-2004

Ozwald Boateng 2003-2007

Riccardo Tisci 2005-2017

Clare Waight Keller Matthew M. Williams 2017-2020 2020-

WOMEN

Haute Couture

Ready-To-Wear

Accessories

Shoes

Bags

MEN

Ready-To-Wear

Accessories

Shoes

Bags

KIDS

Ready-To-Wear

Shoes

Bags

BEAUTY

Perfume

Make-up

Skincare

COLLABORATIONS

GIVENCHY X CHITO

GIVENCHY X Onitsuka Tiger

Coming into Givenchy, Matthew wanted to bring an extra touch of artistic innovation to his designs; therefore, he partnered with the Mexican artist Chito on a Spring 2022 pre-collection which targeted both menswear & womenswear. Some of the designs included a graffiti looking heart with the 4G logo print & Chito’s cartoon dog. For the second collaboration, Chito designed 15 pieces of NFTs for Givenchy which was considered to be Givenchy's first attempt into NFTs. All items limited edition & proceeds from the NFT auction were set to support Givenchy's preferred long-term partnership with 'The Ocean Cleanup' foundation.

During the Pitti Uomo SS20 show in Florence, people witnessed a first. It was Givenchy's first time to collaborate with an external sneaker manufacturer, and Onitsuka Tiger's first collab with a luxury brand. The new Mexico 66™ GDX sneakers were released under Clare Waight Keller management. Two styles for women and men were released: a white with Givenchy lettering, and black with red detailing. Both additionally had the Givenchy Tiger collab tag on its rear end. This collab represented a fusion of cultures where Japanese leather expertise was brought together with French savior-faire.

GIVENCHY X DISNEY

Starting May 2022, Givenchy has been releasing teasers showcasing a collaboration between the Maison & Disney. The current director, Matthew M. Williams has decided to collaborate with Disney due to his very fond memories with Disney growing up ensuring that many others have grown up loving watching Disney. Therefore, the brand will be releasing a collection of items under different product categories like ready-to-wear and bags celebrating various characters called ‘The Wonder Gallery’. The featured characters for now will be Perdita & Pongo from ‘101 Dalmatians’, Bambi, Elsa & Olaf from ‘Frozen’ & Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.

LICENSES FOR EYEWEAR

As of Jan 1, 2022, Givenchy started a new partnership with LMVH's eyewear Italian company Thelios. The partnership included exclusive design, development, manufacture, and distribution. This partnership could be considered to be a highly strategic one, having two businesses under one conglomerate support each other internally.

FOR TEXTILE

Since 2015. Givenchy has signed with Ratti an exclusive licensing agreement to create and support them with their textiles. Ratti develops and provides Givenchy with textiles backed with years of expertise to support the brand's vision of French aesthetics, sophistication, elegance, and boldness. 24

DISTRIBUTION

USA

AUSTRALIA

FRANCE

HONGKONG

ITALY

JAPAN

Multibrand 3 Monobrand 1

Multibrand 16 Monobrand 6

Multibrand 3 Monobrand 3

Multibrand 2 Monobrand 4

Multibrand 0 Monobrand 3

Multibrand 1 Monobrand 2

Multibrand 6 Monobrand 2

MACAU

CHINA

QATAR

KSA

UAE

SINGAPORE

Multibrand 0 Monobrand 2

Multibrand 16 Monobrand 2

Multibrand 0 Monobrand 2

Multibrand 1 Monobrand 2

Multibrand 2 Monobrand 2

Multibrand 0 Monobrand 2

FLAGSHIPS LONDON, UK TOKYO, JAPAN HONGKONG,CHINA

NEWYORK, USA

PARIS, FRANCE

MILAN, ITALY

ROME, ITALY

SHANGHAI, CHINA 25

SEOUL, S. KOREA

KEY ELEMENT

It is quite true that throughout the years, the Givenchy Maison had undergone great changes in style. These changes have been defined by the Creative Director in charge of the label's aesthetic direction. Therefore, we can definitely say that what Hubert built and the style he followed satisfying the wants of royalties and high-class clienteles has shifted from today's streetwear feel targeted for a younger and fresh audience. However, if there is one thing that surely stayed the same throughout the years of its running is the strong Parisian elegance and sophisticated luxury it upholds. Regardless of the style, the brand maintained its strong association that Hubert once built based on his aristocratic background of highclass and luxurious lifestyle. With that, all successors to Hubert De Givenchy have retained this particular feature within the label's name, adding their own touch to the brand within their period of management.

Givenchy Fall 2019 Couture

ICONIC PRODUCT

Considered to be one of the most iconic and influential to be created, the re-interpretation of the Little Black Dress still stands for its ultimate elegance and fame. The dress was made by the founder Hubert De Givenchy to be worn by Audrey Hepburn in her movie Breakfast at Tiffany's in 1961 right at the opening scene. The dress was such a success that to-date, people still highly admire it. Moreover, many of the creative directors which came after Hubert paid homage to the dress by revamping this concept but in their own styles.

1 Audrey Hepburn Little Black Dress from Breakfast at Tiffany's 2 By Matthew William FW 2021 3 By Clare Waight Keller FW 2018 4 Natalie Portman Harper's Bazaar 2006 cover 5 Ariana Grande FW 2019 campaign

BRAND

DNA

Givenchy was able throughout its seven decades of running to maintain its performance and standards by being one of the highly recognizable and prestigious luxury brands in the market. Moreover, its ability to maintain high standards in its pieces and designs has allowed it to achieve long lasting presence in this industry. This was applicable when the business was under the founder’s hands and when the acquisition was made by the LVMH group. Although a lot changed after the acquisition happened and the styles of the Maison’s apparel changed with each creative director, but each designer wanted to uphold the value of the brand that was home to many iconic pieces and moments in the fashion world. The style of the brand has definitely changed since its initiation with its founder Hubert De Givenchy. The brand has always consistently tried to maintain a vision and DNA of the French sophistication and elegance; however, the styles have changed greatly with each creative director. This happened because with Hubert the target market was with an older age group with classic taste, but with LVMH’s direction they were shifting the brand target a younger age group with bolder tastes.

The stories of each designer and some of their collections and styles can be seen in the next sections. Therefore, even though the target market changed and styles reflected on the new creative director’s taste; however, with each new collection there was always a reflection back to the brand’s original roots and appreciate to what Hubert built and started. One aspect of the brand DNA includes its logo. The Givenchy logo has been with the brand since its very beginning. Moreover, the symbol which consists of 4 G’s assembled above each other is very noticeable and been used on a great number of merchandises to link its products to the brand. Furthermore, the Maison was strong and capable in delivering many offerings within various product segments. This includes Haute Couture, Pret-a-Porter, Shoes, Accessories, Bags, and also their own Givenchy Beauty line which consists of parfums, skincare, and makeup. They offer products within different lines for different consumers under women, men, and kids segments.

TIMELINE

1927

Hubert De Givenchy born

1944

Hubert moves to Paris to study fashion

1945-1947

Working as an apprentice for big designers

1952

First show & opens store at 8 Rue Alfred de Vigny

1953

Hubert meets Balenciaga

1954

Hubert meets Audrey Hepburn & designs 'Sabrina'

1957

Givenchy launches parfum line

1959

Maison moves to 3 Avenue George V

1973

Givenchy launches Givenchy Gentleman

1988

LVMH acquisition

1989

Givenchy launches Givenchy Beauty

1995

Hubert retires & John Galliano takes over

1996

Galliano leaves & Alexander McQueen takes over

2001

Julien Macdonald replaces McQueen

2003

Ozwald Boateng appointed for Givenchy Men

2005

Riccardo Tisci appointed Creative Director

2007

Ozwald leaves and Riccardo takes full charge

2017

Clare Waight Keller is new Creative Director

2018

Hubert De Givenchy passes at age 91

2020

Matthew M. Williams is current Creative Director

2022

Thom Walker is Givenchy Makeup Creative Director

BRAND HISTORY

HUBERT DE GIVENCHY

Born on 20 February 1927, Hubert de Givenchy was growing up in a very small city named Beauvais in France. He was brought up in a surrounding that celebrated an immense love for art, sophistication, and unique collectables. His grandfather, Jules Badin, was the director of the tapestry manufactory and collector of rare objects, furniture, costumes, and embroidery when had installed the love for textiles into Hubert. Moreover, his cousins loved creating their own outfits which Hubert was highly enthusiastic about helping them construct.

With his deep profound love for design, he wanted to pursue a career in this domain; however, his family believed that dressmaking isn’t an appropriate career for the de Givenchy and pushed him to get a degree in law. With the end of the war and acts of liberation, Hubert decided to do the same and derail from his family’s wishes and leave for Paris to study fashion design and start attending school at École des Beaux-Arts in 1944. During his dive into the fashion world, deep into the books, Hubert was always fascinated by the Spanish Cristobal Balenciaga’s vision and fashion pieces for their elegance and statements.

Even through Hubert was growing in a world filled with destruction and war during his early years, his love and admiration for the world of couture, design and fashion. For him, fashion was about bringing pieces of magic and imagination into a wearable art piece in reality.

Simultaneously with his studies, Hubert knew that he needs some experience and practice to enhance his skills and so looked for Maisons to work for as an apprentice.

He started off by working with Jacques Fath in 1945 who was young at that time and wanted to share his success with others. Therefore, he quickly accepted Hubert into his workplace and was deeply impressed by him. A year later, he wanted to expand his knowledge and practice and so moved to the House of Robert Piguet. This was an interesting move for him because both Maisons were completely different from one another in terms of styles and DNA, where the former was fun and playful and the latter was Swiss classic. It was also during Hubert’s stay at Piguet that reconciled matters with Hubert’s family for his career choices given Piguet’s Protestant virtues that were reflected in his designs.

He, hence, moved to Schiaparelli who was known for her amusing, influential and humorous style. During Hubert’s stay there, he was grateful for the connections he made with a list of high-end clientele, royalties, and grand fashion female figures during that time.

His next move was to the House of Lelong in 1947. This particular maison was the school for many great designers like Pierre Balmain and Christian Dior who eventually opened their own brands, and so Hubert felt the need to gain knowledge from their as well. However, his move wasn’t quite up to his expectations since he felt like their was no chance to develop an idea there.

During his stay there, he also started working on some of his own ideas which included creating separate pieces of skirts, bodices, and jackets that could be mixed and matched together, which replaced the familiar tailleur or dictated ensemble. People loved his idea and so Givenchy took it and decided to open his own label based on this.

There was no deny that opening his brand during that period was very difficult given that the economic situation around wasn’t going very well and established maisons were filling bankruptcies. However, Givenchy built a team with some of his talented friends that would help establish his brand to compensate for the lack of capita. Some known figures include Madame Helene Bouilloux-Laffont which helped him find some funds, and also model Bettina Graziani who agreed to be the head model, salesperson and head of public relations. During the first ever runway in 1952 for the young 25-year-old Givenchy, Hubert decided to have the best models in Paris to showcase his designs which then would be placed publicly and collectively on mannequins in his store. As a first step, since he didn’t have much funding to buy a lot of fabric, he created his designs with white percale sheets and then have the customers choose the design and fabric. Within the show, Bettina introduced his first ever look which was a fresh look in pure white percale and ruffled sleeves with black-stitched eyelet embroideries. It was also combined with a gabardine skirt that overall earned huge success for its innovative look and young design.

Bettina Graziani first look in Givenchy's first collection in 1952 representing the iconic 'Bettina Blouse'

Bettina & Hubert at the very first collection in 1952

turn into a lifelong relationship. Hubert greatly admired Balenciaga for his exquisite designs and sophisticated and rare taste, and his devotion to him was unmeasurable. It was so that he even moved his store across the street from Balenciaga’s from the 8 Rue Alfred de Vigny to 3 Avenue Georges V. Ivy Nicholson, Sophie Malgat and Bettina wearing interchangeable designs by Givenchy for Life magazine, 1952

The blouse was such a success it remains till now one of the most iconic pieces of Givenchy and had been named after the model Bettina, the ‘Bettina Blouse’. The audience was so amused by the show it stands till today as one of the most exciting ones, for Hubert was introduced very interesting ideas and designs to the markets in addition to concept of mixing-and-matching separates to creates more looks in a women’s wardrobe. A year later in around 1953, Givenchy’s dream had finally come to reality when he met his idol Balenciaga in a party which would Givenchy Paris store on 3 Avenue Georges V still standing to date

In 1954, things started to look bright for Hubert when he met who was going to become his muse and face of Givenchy for a long while. He met Audrey Hepburn during her set for the movie ‘Sabrina’ whose director turned to Hubert the film’s

garments when Balenciaga refused to do so. He was also the designer of one of the most iconic pieces to date which was an interpretation of the Little Black Dress to be worn by Audrey in her movie 'Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Audrey Hepburn in 'Sabrina' gown from the 'Sabrina' movie

Audrey Hepburn in Givenchy from 'Breakfast at Tiffany's'

The label was on a high role during its first years and moving into 1957, Hubert decided to launch his parfum line with his brother Jean-Claude. One of the first parfums that were introduced where ‘L’Interdit’ for Audrey Hepburn who was the face of it and pays tribute to her beauty and uniqueness. Another female parfum was De named after Hubert’s surname which was different from L’Interdit but complemented it. A parfum for men was also released in 1959 ‘Monsieur’ and was product directed for men before the release of his Givenchy Gentlemen later down the road in 1969. He believed that the elegance he portrayed in the womenswear could also be directed onto menswear creating the elegant Givenchy man. Givenchy’s growth was massive with customers lining in front of the doors to get their hands on Givenchy items. Moreover, their clientele list included some of the biggest names in the world which included the Duchess of Windsor, Princess Grace Kelly, Jacqueline Kennedy, Jacqueline Delubac, Gloria Guiness, and Audrey Hepburn.

'L'Interdit' & 'Gentleman' by Givenchy

From there, Givenchy’s kept expanding his market especially with Balenciaga’s resignation due to his disagreement on the direction fashion was taking. So, he shut down his doors and advised his clients to go to Givenchy. Hubert also expanded his offering by working on interior designing for some hotels and cars, exterior designing for gardens as well. In 1988, Maison Givenchy was sold to the LVMH group and stays there for another seven years before completely giving the reigns to them. The label from there after never remained the same and as what many say drifted from its original identity forever.

JOHN GALLIANO

With the LVMH’s new acquisition, Givenchy was about to go through a transition were Hubert, the original founder was stepping down and a new Creative Director was stepping in, John Galliano. Bernard Arnault, head of the LVMH group, believed that the Givenchy target market is one that is towards older wealthy clientele and royalties. He believed that a new change was needed which is the need for Givenchy to start targeting a younger a fresher audience and hence why the young British Galliano was chosen.

was loading up on him to create many pieces in quiet a small period of time. Moreover, he believed that the brand’s identity was different from his, with its ultimate elegance and French sophistication. Galliano wanted to take the house’s original inspiration and add a more ‘Galliano’ touch with a more young, slender, and revealing influence. Furthermore, his overall approach was all new to Givenchy and bazaar for the formal employees at the maison. Informal communication, unstable working hours, and loud music were consuming the house. His choice for his first fashion show as well created a huge buzz where he picked to do it in Stade de France, which was something odd for luxury brands that used to do their shows at fancy hotels.

He wasn’t allowed to step inside the Givenchy headquarters until Hubert’s final departure in September 1995. From then, Galliano was to be working between his own brand and Givenchy, so the pressure on him 42

He stayed at Givenchy for one year creating collections for just four fashion shows: The Princess and the Pea – SS Haute Couture 1996 (Jan 21, 1996) Toreador – FW Ready-To-Wear 1996 (Mar 16, 1996) Empress Josephine – FW Haute Couture 1996 (Jul 7, 1996) Jane Austin Goes to Marrakech- SS Haute Couture 1997 (Oct 13, 1996)

His fashion shows always had a lot to be said about since some liked his creativity while others criticized how he drifted away from the original brand’s DNA. Moving towards approximately the end of his first year, Bernard Arnault, decided to move Galliano to Dior and bring in another young British designer into Givenchy making him the next creative director which was announced on October 14, 1996.

The Princess and the Pea - 1996

Therefore, in Galliano’s last show under Givenchy, it was considered to be a fashion disaster with designs and lack of creativity and large drift away from the brand identity. Audience believed that Galliano didn’t care about the brand anymore noting that he has nothing to do with it anymore, and its someone else’s problem now.

Empress Josephine - 1996

ALEXANDER MCQUEEN

With the rumors about who the next successor will be between Vivienne Westwood, Azzedine Alaia, Marc Jacobs, and Paul Gaultier, the position was finally given to the British designer Alexander McQueen in 1996. For McQueen, the Parisian couture was an atmosphere he wasn’t quite familiar with yet, especially within the Givenchy grounds. He understood that the brand had a gentile French elegance with a connection to Cristobal Balenciaga and a muse for Audrey Hepburn. Yes, there was an evident difference between both the label’s style and Alexander’s; however, both do share a connection. Schiaparelli, which Hubert work for, had employed Anderson & Shepard which later trained the young McQueen. Moving to France and taking on this new challenge, McQueen was contracted to create four collections a year for Givenchy. For his first show for the Maison for the Spring season in Jan 19, 1997, he stated that he used the brand’s archives as inspiration for his collection. Using gold and white colors from the brand’s label and Greek mythology theme, Greek mythology inspired collection - Spring 1997

McQueen faced a lot of criticism for his creations that greatly differed from the Maison’s original roots. He believed that he wouldn’t use these colors for his own collections; however, he did it to align it with the brand. Hence, we can see that Alexander torn and uncomfortable with the mix between his own style and Givenchy’s taste. With each following collection, McQueen made sure to display the struggles he was facing between his own brand in London with its own identity and Givenchy’s French style. This was also evident in the Fall 1999 collection 'A Space Odyssey' which showcased Tron-inspired and BladeRunner futuristic vibes which clearly was detached from the brand’s identity. His goal was to avoid the brand’s original minimalism and go for louder and shocking pieces, in order to push the brand to ‘move on’. Further confirmations were made in the ‘Elect Dissect’ collection in FW 1997. Relationships ended badly between McQueen and LVMH when he felt that the conglomerate wasn’t allowing him to unleash his creativity, and which followed by him selling his brand to the Gucci group instead of LVMH as of what was planned previously. McQueen thus left Givenchy in 2001, where a new creative director was to be assigned.

'A Space Odyssey' - Fall 1999

JULIEN MACDONALD

The Welish designer, Julien Macdonald (1972), was ever since a young age very found of arts and fabrics which allowed him to shine in knitwear. Simultaneously with his studies during 1997 and at the age of 28, he opened his own label to showcase his designs and especially his knitwear creations. It was very impressive that Karl Lagerfeld invited him for a n internship at Chanel as a knitwear designer. Just a few years later, in 2001, LVMH appointed Julien Macdonald the Creative Director of Givenchy. He wrote about his experience at Givenchy to be a tiring one. He believed that maybe he wasn’t the best fit for the brand given the different DNAs and its French history. Moreover, in an interview he conducted with Marie Claire magazine, he confessed that maybe he wasn’t ready yet to handle such a big brand as Givenchy as he was still young, and he wasn’t quite ready and experienced enough to handle an empire like Givenchy.

Givenchy Fall 2001 Couture

During his first new years in 2001 and 2002, Julien was missing the mark on gaining the needed success. Critics and audiences believed that he was playing it too

Givenchy Fall 2002 Couture

safe and not putting much of his creativity and touch to push the brand to the new heights it desperately needed. In the Fall 2002 Couture show, Macdonald surprised his viewers with the boldness he brought to the show. People were finally to see some action on the Givenchy runway, even though the theme was more of a punk rock style. Moving forward, Macdonald went back to create more collections inspired by the brand’s history, especially Audrey Hepburn and sometimes the Little Black Dress from Breakfast at Tiffany’s, but with his own glitz and glam flare to it. Again, in his Spring 2004 Ready-ToWear collection, he drifted again with a seventy’s hippie inspiration.

Givenchy Spring 2003 Couture

Julien’s journey at Givenchy ended in 2004 with his Fall 2004 Ready-ToWear collection. Overall, his journey could be said to be one that wasn’t very lucky. He was always lost between his own style of extreme glamour with Givenchy’s classical and simple designs in its archives. The mix between the two wasn’t always enjoyed by the audience and so another era ended waiting for another director to lead.

Givenchy Spring 2004 Ready-to-wear

OZWALD BOATENG

Ozwald Boateng was a Ghanaian design, born and raised in London who started his career in fashion around the late 1980s. He earned recognition quickly for his great taste and designs in the menswear fashion segment where his clothes were on the face of many magazines and worn by celebrities on red carpets and in movies. In 1994, he was the first ever tailor to have his own catwalk in Paris fashion week. Moreover, he was greatly known for his short films that he would create for promotional purposes. Some of the celebrities and even movies that Boateng has designed for include Jason Statham, Will Smith, the cast of Sex & the City & the Matrix: Reloaded.

In 2003, Boateng was appointed by LVMH;s Bernard Arnault to be the Creative Director of Givenchy’s Menswear line. This was a new direction for the brand because ever since Hubert, the menswear line disappeared and Givenchy’s managers wanted to relaunch this particular segment by hiring a wellknown designer to re-establish the men’s product category and reinvent the modern French man. Moreover, the first fashion show done by Boateng for Givenchy was the first ever Menswear fashion show to be done for the label since its launching. One of the aspects that Boateng was famous for as well during Givenchy was the Japanese anime 51

Givenchy Fall 2005 Menswear

Givenchy Fall 2006 Menswear

inspired short film that he was starring in that reflecting on his journey to Givenchy, which was played regularly in many of his fashion shows.

Moreover, the pressure of running two businesses, Givenchy and his own, and the different cultures between France and UK was too much for him to handle. In 2007, Boateng leaves Givenchy and the menswear line is left without a director. The label produced 2008’s Spring and Fall collections within the Givenchy design studio team. It was a rough period until the line was going to be picked up again by Riccardo Tisci, the next Creative Director for the Maison.

Concerning his journey at Givenchy, it can be said that it also wasn’t the best of success. He stayed there for around three years, some of his collections were taken positives and others not so greatly. It was evident to him as well that running a huge empire like Givenchy with a strong sophisticated French historic background. 52

RICCARDO TISCI

Riccardo Tisco & Beyonce for Vogue US

Our next Creative Director was one that really did set a mark on Givenchy and created a big impact on the brand lifting it to new heights. Riccardo Tisci is a designer from Southern Italy who joined Givenchy in 2005 up until 2017 making him one of the longest staying directors after Hubert todate. He was set to take charge of the women’s ready-to-wear and haute couture lines. However, after Ozwald Boateng’s leave and

interregnum, Tisci also took over the menswear and accessories lines. He was able to introduce a more streetwear feel to the brand and bring the brand to younger audiences’ attentions. Looking closely at Riccardo’s achievements and creations with the brand, there were several things that are interesting to highlight on.

Streetwear influence Tisci created several pieces for Givenchy that were highly influenced by streetwear pushing the brand to have a new identity. Even though there was no direct contact to the old brand style, but they still had that French luxurious touch to it. That being said, many of the pieces that he designed created a great hype. Some of these products include the Rottweiler Jumper which many other brands stated replicating the same concept, the floral backpack which also was highly trending after having the same print as Kim Kardashian’s floral Givenchy gown for the Met Gala 2013, and another is the Madonna inspired print that was even featured in a collection the Spring 2013 Menswear.

Givenchy Fall 2011 Menswear - Rottweiler Jumper

Givenchy floral backpack

Givenchy Fall 2013 Menswear - Madonna collection

Diversity Riccardo loved portraying his commitment to social and racial diversity throughout his career and so he made sure to showcase this through his runways. One of his main models and later personal assistant was a transgender model Lea T which was one of the very few transgender models during that period. Moreover, models from various cultures and racial differences were always welcomed on his catwalks. Givenchy Spring 2011 Couture

High publicity and social media attractiveness Riccardo loved sharing his life stories on his social media accounts to stay close to all types of audiences, the celebrities and the public. He also liked to share about all his friendships with other celebrities, the Kardashian family being one of the main ones.

Kim Kardashian's Givenchy wedding gown by Riccardo Tisci

A new focus Rather than focusing on the already perfectly dressed Hollywood actors, he instead shifted his focus to musicians who he believed would have a huge impact on trends and styles. Some of his main clients include Rihanna, Madonna, and Kanye West.

Friendships with other designers

Rihanna wearing custom Givenchy

For Tisci, close connections were greatly important for him and so his made sure to stay on good terms with many other designers. For example, Tisci broke all the rules when he created an ad for Givenchy starring Donatella Versace, believing in creating peace and great supports, and hoping to make the fashion industry a global community. Moreover, Tisci created one of the current highly recognizable products of the Maison which is the Antigona bag in 2010. The bag’s release was a huge success, highly desirable, and was always out of stock during its early days. Donatella Versace posing for Givenchy ad

CLARE WAIGHT KELLER

The British Designer coming from Ralph Lauren, Gucci, and Chloe stepped into Givenchy as its first ever female new Creative Director in 2017. Unlike Tisci complete disregard to the archives, Clare did visit to slightly reconnect but still maintain what Tisci has built. She took note of Hubert’s love for prints, clover and animal motifs, and black & whites with pops of red and mint. .

Givenchy GV3 bag

With that, Clare made her way through Givenchy. She was known for creating the GV3 bag which was named after the location of the headquarters in Paris, and also the V-point knee-high boots. Most of her work was considered to be bold and strong yet with a feminine elegance to it, making it stand out. Clare was the certainly the designer of the year 2018 when she was chosen to design the dress for the wedding of Prince Harry and Megan Markle. The subtlety and elegance of the dress made it shine for the masterpiece it was

Givenchy V-point knee-high boots

Megan Markle's wedding gown by Givenchy

MATTHEW WILLIAMS

Moving to the current Creative Director of Givenchy, Matthew M, Williams took over in 2020 after Clare Waight Keller. The American designer can be described as one that has an eye for streetwear aesthetics and garment construction practicality combined to created luxurious garments. He grow up loving skating and is likely wear is style comes from. He established himself slowly in the market by working with Lady Gaga and Kanye West, and founded a menswear business with Virgil Abloh and Heron Preston called Been Trill. He also has his own personal label named Alyx that follows a streetwear style as well. Being friends and previous collaborators with streetwear desginers like LV’s Virgil Abloh and Dior’s Kim Jones, it was going to be interesting to see what Williams would bring different onto Givenchy. With Matthew, he believed that his collections aren’t theme oriented. He designed based on the product itself. He creates what he would wear and what he thinks would create a powerful and attractive

Givenchy Spring 2021 Ready-to-wear

Givenchy women. With that being said, most of his work collection till now are very bold, cool, strong, and hip. Furthermore, many believe that his target audience is Gen Z, the ones who see things on social media and want them and are always on to see the newest and trendiest products out there. . Looking at some of his main and outstanding products, he created the 4G bags highly portraying the Givenchy logo padlock in a new multi-dimensional manner. He also created the ‘Cut-out’ bags that wear highly portrayed in the Spring 2021 Ready-To-Wear collection.

Givenchy Kenny bag

Another bag that was interesting when it was released was the Kenny bag, which was inspired by Kendall Jenner. Kendall was Williams’ muse and very close friend and were witnessed together several times in several events. Therefore, as how the Hermes Birkin was inspired by Jane Birkin, the same now can be said about Givenchy’s Kenny. Givenchy 4G bag

Givenchy Marshmallow shoes

As for footwear, two interesting designs were made by Williams which are the Marshmallow shoes, known for their chunkiness & softness as if you’re walking on a cloud. Another is the TK-360 Sneakers known for being the fully knitted and a nod to technological advances.

Williams is surprising his viewers with new creations and also collaborations, and it would definitely be interesting to see where the future lies for a brand like Givenchy in the upcoming years.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

BOOK SOURCES Boucher, Shazia, and Martínez de la Pera Celada Eloy. Hubert De Givenchy. The City of Lace and Fashion, Calais, 2017. De Givenchy, Hubert, et al. Hubert De Givenchy. 1st ed., Fundacion Coleccion ThyssenBornemisza, 2015. Fares, Tania, and Sarah Mower. London Uprising: Fifty Fashion Designers, One City. Phaidon Press Limited, 2017. Mohrt Françoise, and Hubert de Givenchy. The Givenchy Style. Assouline, 1998. Riley, Robert. Givenchy: 30 Years. Fashion Institute of Technology, 1982. Taylor, Kerry. Galliano: Spectacular Fashion. Bloomsbury Visual Arts, 2019. Watt, Judith. Alexander McQueen : Fashion Visionary. Goodman Books, 2014.

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