Who will be next in charge of Givenchy?

Whether it’s inventing the sack dress, a Rottweiler T-shirt popularized by figures like Ye or a pristine white wedding dress worn by Meghan Markle, Givenchy is still one of fashion’s biggest houses. However, the luxury label has experienced an extended turnover period following the golden Riccardo Tisci era, given the three-year tenure of its last two creative directors, Clare Waight Keller and Matthew Williams. It is difficult for most designers to completely transform a house within a few years, so the result has left the house in transition. So the lingering question is: how can Givenchy return to its previous level of widespread popularity?

Givenchy’s golden era began in 2005 with Riccardo Tisci, who served as creative director until 2017. Tisci held the leading design role for the longest time in the brand’s history, behind Hubert de Givenchy himself, and brought a new identity to the French house – one designed by a contemporary, sensual and romantic personality. Although Tisci was not well known before his appointment – ​​having worked for companies such as Puma, Antonio Berardi and Ruffo Research – his widespread success at the house has not only revitalized the brand, but also built a respected reputation for Tisci himself.

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Kevin Mazur/Child2014/Antonio De Moraes Barros Filho/Getty Images

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Kevin Mazur/Child2014/Antonio De Moraes Barros Filho/Getty Images

Tisci successfully maneuvered the pop culture landscape thanks to his relationships with celebrity clients such as Beyoncé, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Kim Kardashian, Ye, Madonna, Erykah Badu and Jessica Chastain. Highlights of the Gienchy Tisci era included costumes for Madonna’s Sweet & Sticky Tour, popular graphic prints like those on his statement dog T-shirts, Ye’s leather kilt for the Watch the Throne Tour, Kim Kardashian and Ye’s wedding looks and Tisci’s Nike Air Force 1 collaboration. When he left in 2017, this was reported by multiple sources, such as WWD And The New York Times those sales revenues grew to $539 million USD.

After Tisci’s departure, Clare Weight Keller took over until 2020, previously from Chloé and Gucci. Keller’s appointment marked a historic moment for the house as she became its first female creative director. To the house, Keller brought a sense of elegance that seemed to reshape the modern man and woman. Even during her short three-year stint, Keller managed to update the Givenchy woman and bring a more fluid definition to Givenchy menswear, in addition to exhibiting a ruggedly elegant vision of haute couture. But the highlight of her tenure was a minimalist white wedding dress designed for Meghan Markle.

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Next in line after Keller was Matthew Williams, who took over in 2020 – a seemingly wild card decision for the creative director role. Aside from his label 1017 ALYX 9SM, taking on the role of creative director at Givenchy marked Williams’ first time leading a major luxury label, let alone a European heritage brand. Known for his street-leaning aesthetic, Williams brought a darker edge to the home. But even beyond the new clientele Williams brought to the Givenchy sphere, his short tenure received mixed reviews. His Givenchy did not provide a central style; the house never boasted of excellent sales, nor did the designer revive the couture branch. So given the generally questionable three years since his departure in late 2023, the creative director-less house now remains in limbo. While Givenchy has yet to comment on who is being considered or whether a choice has been made, there are a few names in the industry who may have what it takes to turn the tide at the French house.

Simon Porte Jacquemus

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Jacques

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Jacques

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Jacques

A name that stands out is Simon Porte Jacquemus. Since founding his eponymous label, Jacquemus has grown enormously in the fashion landscape thanks to his romantically effortless style, signature handbags and beautiful fashion shows. Although the intention is unknown, the designer posted a photo on Instagram last December with the caption “Chez Hubert de Givenchy,” sparking speculation that he would take the empty chair.

So far, Porte Jacquemus has enjoyed great success with his eponymous label, even becoming the youngest fashion designer to ever be named Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (the highest French ministerial award for cultural achievement) earlier this year. to lead another brand. On a taste level, the designer has the expertise for ready-to-wear and perhaps even couture at a major heritage brand, given his affinity for quiet elegance using lines and shapes as creators of personality – something Hubert de Givenchy himself did very well.

In addition to design, Jacquemus has developed a beautiful, sincere and progressive marketing strategy. On the campaign front, highlights included the posed elegance of Bad Bunny for the “Les Sculptures” campaign alongside the beautiful beaches of Rio de Janeiro for SS23. In addition, Jacquemus has proven his golden strategy for surreal marketing – ranging from a 500-metre-long pink runway embedded in a French lavender field to exaggerated ‘La Chapeau Bomba’ hats to even bus-like Bambino handbags cruising the streets of Paris. (digital of course). Therefore, Porte Jacquemus’ romantic design style and pop culture agency, similar to that of Hubert de Givenchy, in addition to his cultural mastery and marketing prowess, could be exactly what the French house needs.

Sara Burton

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Alexander McQueen

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Alexander McQueen

Sarah Burton also stands out as a strong potential candidate to lead Givenchy. Recently, Burton left the role of creative director at Alexander McQueen, which she held for 13 years, and remains a highly skilled designer in the industry. While not quite of the old guard yet, the Instagramless designer represents an era when design skills and creativity came first, not social media capital. So while homes today are constantly switching between designers due to that shifted focus, Burton’s ability to not only design, but also create a clear design perspective, remains a highly coveted skill.

Since graduating from Central Saint Martins in 1997, Burton has only worked at Alexander McQueen – during her time holding the titles of Head of Womenswear and Creative Director – and no less worked with Alexander McQueen himself. Considering McQueen’s role as creative director of Givenchy from 1996 to 2001, putting Burton in the seat would be a full-circle moment. In addition to inventing her take on the man and woman of Givenchy, it would be interesting to see Burton reinvent core archival pieces from Givenchy’s McQueen era for the modern era. This would mark Burton at Givenchy as the first time the fashion world would see the respected designer’s creativity blossom in a new way.

Haider Ackermann

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Stefania D’alessandro/Francois Guillot/Julien Hekimian/Getty Images

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Stefania D’alessandro/Francois Guillot/Julien Hekimian/Getty Images

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Stefania D’alessandro/Francois Guillot/Julien Hekimian/Getty Images

Another solid contender is Colombian-born French designer Haider Ackermann. Known for his eponymous label that presents an exquisite vision of layered tailoring, Ackermann remains a reserved yet deeply respected name in fashion. But what’s particularly interesting about Ackermann’s career is that, apart from a three-season stint at Berluti, the designer has never led a larger luxury house, despite being a constantly discussed candidate.

For example, Ackermann has been approached to head houses such as Dior and Maison Margiela. Karl Lagerfeld also commented on Ackermann as his ideal successor at Chanel. Ackermann was also the guest designer for Jean Paul Gaultier’s Spring 2023 Haute Couture collection. In addition, Janet Jackson, Tilda Swinton, Ye, Victoria Beckham and Timothée Chalamet are notable wearers of his creations.

Two of Ackermann’s most important muses were actors Tilda Swinton and Timotheé Chalamet. Ackermann and Swinton have been friends for a long time, about twenty years to be exact. Over the years, Swinton’s undeniably elegant and sometimes otherworldly image has been largely in the hands of the Colombian-born French designer. Whether it’s multiple Cannes Film Festivals, Tokyo Fashion Week, the Gotham Independent Film Awards or even the Marrakech International Film Festival, Swinton often graces the red carpet in her friend’s designs. Therefore, Swinton’s fans and fashion enthusiasts alike expect the actor to wear the designer, reinforcing Ackermann’s core role in creating Swinton’s regal image.

Like Swinton, Ackermann shaped the fashion image of emerging actor Timothée Chalamet. Chalamet loves donning monochromatic looks and has worn Ackerman to the Venice Film Festival, the premiere of The kingthe premiere of Bones and all and the London premiere of Dune: part two. Although they each have their own look, highlights are the sleek silver/gray suit and the red metallic halter top with matching pants. Even as Chalemet’s red carpet looks have expanded to other designers, Ackermann has been a major force in the actor’s style evolution — just as Tisci was able to play a crucial role in Ye’s style evolution. Given Ackermann’s history, design talent and affinity for building visions of timeless style, Ackermann could also be an excellent designer leader for Givenchy.