GIVENCHY COLLECTION F/W 2021
Esoteric, One-of-a-Kind Dreams
For Givenchy Creative Director Matthew Williams’ sophomore collection, we got sound personified. Music you can wear, if you will.
The pre-recorded show for Givenchy’s Fall/Winter 2021 collection begins on what seems to be an abandoned sound stage (which already foreshadows the heavy sound theme here). Models can be seen running to make their curtain call time before the lights focus on a single woman, which kicks off the co-ed collection.
There’s a lot to covet here, making this collection perfect for social media-savvy Gen Z’ers who can’t wait to post and brag about what they’ve acquired. If last year’s social media campaign featuring the most followed figures in the world tells us anything, it’s that Williams’ targeting of the Gen Z crowd is here to stay for the time being. Only furthering the fervor is the fact that, in true Givenchy fashion, the pieces in the Fall/Winter 2021 collection tend more towards the unusual/esoteric side, which gives a feel of one-of-a-kind personal treasures.
There’s also a very tactile factor in this collection, with several pieces making you want to reach out and touch them – similar to that feeling you get when you see a felt-covered handbag or faux-skin wallet/phone case. There are several textures featured here that will keep both eyes and hands occupied, and the added sculptural quality (a Givenchy hallmark) of the accessories only adds to the Instagram-worthiness of the collection. Adding this sense of touch to the aforementioned audio theme, we really get the sense that Givenchy wants us to enjoy this collection with all five (or more?) of our senses.
Big, bulky furry coats (remember: tactile) and centaur-like platform shoes give off an extraterrestrial vibe (again, classic Givenchy), but we can also see an ironically lockdown-inspired outdoorsiness – albeit a much cooler, tougher, and trendier version than we’re used to seeing. The “tougher” aspect comes into play through the hardware seen throughout the collection. Supersized Cuban chains, embellishments on dresses, and rigid sequins take the Givenchy guy/girl to a more industrial world, thereby giving them a sense of increased power and control – one you can hear coming from a distance.
There is quite a lot to take in for Givenchy Fall/Winter 2021, but don’t let that stop you from taking the time to appreciate every weird, meticulously-placed detail. Givenchy’s otherworldliness is on proud display here, and pretty soon, it’ll be proudly displayed across most of Gen Z’s social media.
