The familiar everyday and dressy occasion have always been seen as two separate identities. With Givenchy’s Fall Winter 2022 Collection, Creative Director Matthew M. Williams wants to amalgamate the two while honouring the juxtaposition.
Together with photographer Nick Knight, the Givenchy ad campaign presents the dual-natured narrative with a fresh visual journey. The play of moods and materials echo moments that are intimate and universal, between reality and surrealism, all while showcasing the diverse, multi-hyphenate cast embodying Givenchy’s individualistic ethos as they are lit with an ethereal light that hints at elaborate inner worlds beyond first glance.
“The faces in this season’s campaign really represent what Givenchy means today,” said Williams. “It’s a uniquely eclectic group: each model is an icon in their own right”
Each model is also styled in a world of its own. Singer Ethel Cain, dressed in a strapless camisole dress with raw-edged flounces, sits in a bedroom with vintage floral wallpaper and a pink bedcover, while model and activist Liya Kebede goes bold with statement accessories such as black pearls and the season’s Kenny bag. Model Vittoria Ceretti, on the other hand, is seemingly on the go while sporting a black leather cami dress with the G-Hobo bag standing against an animal print curtain.
All these visual imageries reflect the theme of the Givenchy Fall Winter 2022 Collection. Here, Williams furthers the brand iconography created by Hubert de Givenchy that blends the sensibility of the haute couture atelier with day-to-day clothing archetypes. The result is a celebration of dualities—the formal and the informal, the ornamental and the practical, the easeful and the monumental, the layered and direct, and of course, the luxury and the utility.
“I really wanted to create a synthesis of powerful, sophisticated femininity, with an interplay of multiple American and Parisian influences, sports and craftsmanship. Next to her stands a contemporary man with an instinct for chic nonchalance. On the runway, both are grounded by a sense of reality.”
Under Williams’ direction, the contrast is multi-faceted. Everyday fabrics of denim are set against opulent sequins, pearls and duchesse satin alike while washed jerseys play up distinctive graphics and 4D print embroidery. Practical colours of rich browns, greens, greys and blacks act as a foil to fluid, tailored silhouettes and transparent, delicate and dishevelled ruffled dresses. Givenchy’s classic tailoring is another focus, with structured single- and double-breasted shapes made with ease and lightness in wools and flannels, much like wide tailored trousers with voluminous overcoats.
Haute couture materials created by the late Givenchy have also been modernised and suffused into the collection. Hardware is reimagined as jewellery and pearls are transformed into studs punctuating garments, jewellery and bags. An archival ocelot print from 1955 is over-dyed and used to construct masculine outwear while black thistle embroideries, which are handmade from goose feathers, become the overarching motif applied on jewellery and shoes.
Leather goods are also given the same luxurious utilitarian treatment with a softer and more yielding construction. The new G-Hobo with the signature Lock and soft quilted 4G bags, which are also made in new proportions, are some examples. The Fall Winter 2022 Collection also elevates the Kenny bag with new, different finishes.
Creative Direction: Matthew M. Williams
Art Direction: Sara-Jayne Todd@Artistry
Photographer: Nick Knight@Showstudio
Video: Nick Knight@Showstudio
Models/talents: Ethel Cain@tba agency, Liya Kebede@Viva Playboi Carti, Vittoria Ceretti@Elite Model
Givenchy boutiques are located at:
Marina Bay Sands, 2 Bayfront Avenue, #B1-129, The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, tel: 6222 7459
Paragon, 290 Orchard Road, #01-41/42, tel: 6235 4438
Website: www.givenchy.com
Brought to you by Givenchy
