Givenchy: Sweaters, bags and sneakers from the “inventor of the little black dress”.

Givenchy – The label named after founder Hubert de Givenchy started its success with the collection Les Séperables. The collection was based on a then increasingly popular concept of combining skirts and blouses instead of dresses to create the hourglass silhouette that was so popular at the time. The modern approach and high quality garments were a resounding success. Find out what came next, who chaired the creative process and which pieces you should check out alongside the popular Antigona bag in this article.

Givenchy: clothing, sneakers and bags in iconic designs

Just a few years after its founding in 1952, the label was able to celebrate huge successes. Givenchy knew not only what the modern woman wanted to wear, but also how best to present it. We present his approach to tailoring and marketing in a little more detail below.

Tip. Read our brand guide with the most important fashion brands of the fashion industry here.

Hubert de Givenchy: fashion designer extraordinair

Hubert de Givenchy was able to perfectly analyze the fashion of the time and interpret it in his own way so that it became avante garde, but still wearable and not too exaggerated. At the age of seventeen, Hubert de Givenchy came to Paris to take a step closer to his dream of becoming a fashion designer. His friendship with Cristóbal Balenciaga has, according to his own statement, strongly influenced his way of designing fashion. Balenciaga was a pioneer of his time in the sense that he placed a lot of emphasis on structure in tailoring. He used less embellishments and patterns but made sure that the cuts were fancy enough to make the clothes special.

Givenchy, like Dior for example, was strongly inspired by this. With success, because he remained independent on the fashion market until the takeover of the fashion house by LVMH in 1988. And even after joining the group, Givenchy remained creative chairman until 1995. In 2018, after making fashion history and also receiving numerous awards for his personal style as best dressed man and the like, Hubert de Givenchy passed away at the age of 91, but his spirit lives on in Givenchy’s collections.

Muse of the designer and face of L’Interdit: Audrey Hepburn

The style icon and the designer shared a lifelong friendship and collaboration. Many of the iconic looks that Hepburn is known for were designed by Givenchy. This is also where the story of the popularization of the little black dress begins. For in both Sabrina and Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Hepburn wears black robes from Givenchy. With these famous appearances Givenchy, although he was not the first and not the only designer of a simple, but still flattering black dress, managed to make a name for just that.

In addition, Hepburn and Givenchy together ushered in a new era of perfume marketing when Hepburn became the first actress to be the advertising face of a perfume. This was the L’interdit perfume, which was first launched in 1957. In the meantime, you can get a new edition of the coveted perfume in perfumeries again.

Sack-Dress: The classic dress for ladies

The Sack Dress is the signature design of the house of Givenchy. It was the perfect combination of the style of the fifties, which was strongly influenced by structure and Dior’s ‘New Look’, and the designer’s own ideas. As early as 1954, a dress emerged for the first time in Givenchy’s collection, which was silhouetted towards the Sack Dress. In 1957, this T-shirt dress evolved into what is now known as the Sack Dress: a wide silhouette that narrowed in a V-cut towards the bottom and ended with what was, for the time, a short hem.

Thus, the dress combined femininity with simple, fashionable design and became an absolute must-have. Until today, the design is known and always when it appears again in collections of the house, extremely sought after. Not only was it one of the first pieces to bring oversized looks into the fashion world, it was also influential for the fashion style of the sixties.

Givenchy Gentleman: Bonjour, line for men with shoes and perfume

Aristocratic, elegant, structured. This was the claim that Givenchy’s men’s line made on itself. Through hard work and progressive designs, Givenchy was able to conquer even this previously untrodden market was easy for him by perfectly meeting the tastes of the upper class at the time.

He himself was extremely particular about his appearance and wanted to pass on this attention to detail and fashion to other men. His designs were highly praised and he was able to add a perfume with the same name to the collection in 1957. Givenchy’s menswear is now part of the regular Givenchy collection. The perfume, however, is still available today. Over the years, the fragrance has of course undergone a few changes, but it is still very popular.

Creative Director: Major designers after Hubert de Givenchy

After Hubert de Givenchy stepped down as president of the fashion house in 1995, the search began for a befitting successor. Many famous personalities of the fashion world had only briefly the honor to work for Givenchy, until they left the house again for different reasons.

Followers: John Galliano, Alexander McQueen and Julien Macdonald

The label’s women’s line was created between 1995 and 2005 by a wide variety of designers with different visions for the brand. John Galliano enjoyed only a short time at Givenchy until he was given responsibility for the Dior women’s collection.

Alexander McQueen, as a rebel of the fashion world, did not miss the opportunity to cause a stir at Givenchy. He began to call Hubertus de Givenchy irrelevant and made it his task to let his collections stand out in comparison to what the label had presented until then. Unfortunately, this project was not very successful.

Interview with Givenchy success designer Riccardo Tisci: Video

After the short tenures of the previous creative directors, one managed to stay at Givenchy for 12 years. Riccardo Tisci took over the creative chair in 2005 and by 2017 had transformed Givenchy into a successful, modern label that was still able to retain Hubert de Givenchy’s spirit.

Givenchy under Riccardo Tisci: Kanye West, Transgender Models, Gothic

Riccardo Tisci was not only able to realize his visions for the label in a way that breathed a completely new life into the label. He understood, in the spirit of Hubert de Givenchy, how important famous faces can be as representatives of the brand, and through his friendship and collaboration with Kanye West, brought Givenchy to new splendor and popularity in streetwear fashion.

Combined with Tisci’s penchant for gothic elements and awareness of what the label stood for, the collections were completely revamped. The modern look proved popular with customers and within the label. Thus, Tisci lingered as Givenchy’s creative head for 12 years.

Claire Waight Keller video: Meghan Markle’s wedding dress and more

When Claire Waight Keller became the label’s Creative Director in 2017, she made company history as the first woman to hold this coveted position. Shortly after, she was given the opportunity to showcase her skills to the world when she was commissioned to design Meghan Markle’s wedding dress for the Royal Wedding. In the same year she was awarded the British Designer of the Year Award in womenswear.

Matthew M. Williams: Stylist and designer takes over the label in 2020

After Claire Waight Keller left the label in 2020, Matthew M. Williams came into the picture in 2020. The stylist to the stars and close friend of Kanye West is supposed to bring the label forward, especially on a technological level. Modern design and cutting techniques as well as digital solutions are to be found with the help of Matthew M. Williams.

The designer is best known for his luxury streetwear creations. With this, the trend of the luxury labels that have existed for a long time, which move more into the streetwear area, is becoming even more apparent.

Clothing: Sweaters, T-shirts and hoodies

The label stands for quality and well thought-out designs. Over the years, different styles have found their way into the designs, but one direction has become apparent early on: the use of muted colours, inspirations from streetwear and subculture styles.

Sweaters and hoodies with applications: Prices

The label’s latest ready-to-wear collections increasingly feature simple cotton hoodies and sweatshirts, which are enhanced with metal appliqués, beadwork or other embroidery and can thus be perfectly established in everyday outfits.

• Givenchy Pearls Embroidered Sweatshirt €1,100
• Givenchy Paris Embroidered Hoodie €850
• Printed Hoodie 650 €
• Givenchy Embroidered Hoodie €690

T-shirt with Givenchy logo: prices

The label’s T-shirt designs are not particularly different from the sweaters that the label releases. The same applications, patterns, prints and color gradients that you find on the hoodies are also represented on the T-shirts. The only difference is the price, which is lower for the T-shirts, as usual.

• Givenchy Pearls Embroidered T-Shirt €890
• Givenchy Paris Embroidered Oversized T-Shirt €560
• Vintage Givenchy Oversized Shirt €320
• Givenchy Embroidered T-Shirt €390

Shoes and accessories: sneakers, slippers and bags

Shoes and accessories in particular play an essential role in the perfect streetwear outfit. Givenchy can help you find what you’re looking for, because the label has a wide range of different pieces to help you develop a particularly casual style.

Top 5 most popular sneakers for men and women

Sneakers or trainers are an essential part of the perfect streetwear fit. Givenchy’s shoe models are particularly high-quality and made of fine leather and in this way keep the feet warm and also withstand rougher weather conditions.

• Sneakers in Leather with Webbing (Men/Ladies)
• Givenchy Reverse Sneaker in Leather (Men)
• Spectre Low Runners (men/women)
• Givenchy Sneakers in Leather (Ladies)
• Spectre Two Toned Knitted Sneakers (Men/Ladies)

It-Bags: Bags like Antigona, Pandora and Co.

Givenchy has managed to bring one or the other iconic bag model to the market in the past, with the Antigona bag at the forefront. The bag model carries the spirit of the label’s founder in that it combines classic and modern. On the one hand, the model is equipped with firmly sewn handles that allow it to be carried on the forearm. In addition, you can attach a longer shoulder belt to the bag to give your hands freedom.

Pandora’s Box contained all the evil in the world and hope. Whether you could put all the evil also in the Pandora Bag by Givenchy remains questionable. The rather small, cuboid bag stands out mainly because of its unusual shape.

The Mystic Bag is a bit more classic with a flap and looks more elegant than the other bags at first sight. But that does not mean that it is unsuitable for everyday life. On the contrary, with this bag everyday outfits can be upgraded. Also here is the possibility to expand the bag as needed by a shoulder strap to make the carrying more comfortable.

Bathing slippers: shoes for a certain luxury in everyday life

The brand names the shoes as Casual Shoes and sells different designs of the sandals. Since time immemorial, sports brands in particular have offered shoes in this style. But at the latest since Kanye West brought out futuristic-looking Yeezy slippers, the shoes have also slipped into the higher-priced fashion sector.

Givenchy doesn’t miss this opportunity and has released its very own versions of the very special footwear. On the one hand with brand logo and on the other hand in more striking design completely held in black.

Sunglasses by Givenchy á la Audrey Hepburn

Many stars and starlets like to use sunglasses to cover up the signs of lack of sleep, or even to cover up their own identity. Sunglasses are not only practical, but also stylish. Givenchy is always trying to rediscover their sunglasses.

These are not only stylish, they also offer current trends. Whether you prefer to fall back on the big, black classics or try sunglasses with piercing-inspired details is up to you. Givenchy offers both.

Specials: Beauty, Perfume and Antigona

Givenchy not only has a wide range of beauty products and perfume, but also offers exclusive insights into the production of the great designs. We’ve put together a few more tidbits for you, for those who just can’t get enough of the label.

Beauty: Perfume, Bronzer, Pi and Givenchy Gentleman

This article has mainly focused on the clothing division of the label and also put a lot of emphasis on summarizing the development of the label to what it is today. Unfortunately, the beauty section came a little too short. But if you are still looking for the perfect Givenchy perfume or want to learn more about the label’s make-up, you can also find an entire article on Givenchy Beauty, which is worth a look!

Video Antigona Savoir Faire: production of the popular bag

Why is the Antigona so popular anyway? And more importantly, what justifies the price tag of this coveted bag? Maybe this video can give you a little insight into how much effort is put into the production of this classic bag.