MATTHEW M. WILLIAMS
From the Street to Givenchy
Talk about a re-opening.
The House of Givenchy will re-emerge from lockdown with more than just new precautions in place – they’ll have an entirely new Creative Director.
Givenchy’s parent company, LVMH, has tapped 34-year-old relative newcomer Matthew Williams to oversee the house’s entire creative direction. It’s a big move for the storied house, namely a move far away from it’s Audrey Hepburn-esque past and former Creative Director Clare Waight Keller’s classic, couture-driven vision.
What Williams lacks in technical atelier experience, he more than makes up for in street cred, with an impressive list of celebrity mentors and collaborators to boot. He worked as Art Director under none other than Kanye West, lent creative direction to Lady Gaga, collaborated with Nike and Vans, and founded haute streetwear line 1017 Alyx 9SM, which has seen the likes of Bella Hadid walk its runways. LVMH seems to be hedging its bets not on someone who has a wealth of bias-cutting knowledge, but rather on someone who is deft at seizing the cultural zeitgeist. In this new post-pandemic landscape, the importance of diversity and knowing what people actually want will far outweigh the importance of branding or beautifully-cut hemlines. Give the fact that LVMH is as about as old-school fashion establishment as it gets, this is an extremely out-of-the-box move. And it’s a smart one.
Incidentally, Williams had been on LVMH’s radar since 2016, when he was a finalist in the running for the LVMH Prize for up and coming designers. Quite convenient to have a contest that serves as a company’s own literal hunting ground for new talent.
Williams’ first day on the job was just this past Tuesday the 16th, and needless to say, he’s got his work cut out for him (pun maybe intended). Luxury fashion has been hit quite hard due to the global pandemic and the subsequent lockdown of non-essential businesses, and as the houses open back up for selling, all eyes will be on the brands that are able to weather this new storm.
Williams will debut his first Givenchy collection this October in Paris, and we’ll be waiting to see whether this new shift from the studio to the street has any legs.
