Matthew Williams Ends His Tenure At Givenchy After Just A Few Years

The departure of American designer and candidate for the LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers represents just how quickly the weather can change in a high stakes industry.

Come January 1st, the house of Givenchy will embark on a new creative chapter. Through a corporate reshuffling, the post of creative director will be officially vacant according to a brief statement from Paris last Friday. Matthew Williams the occupant of the position since 2020 will end his reign with the pre-fall 2024 collections which are scheduled to be unveiled within the coming days. This reshuffling comes as a trend amongst luxury fashion houses, where creative directors have not lasted long as of late. Another one bites the dust.

The designer of Chicago origin and candidate for the LVMH prize for young fashion designers will step down, with no new successor announced. At LVMH owned Givenchy, Williams rose to prominence succeeding the gothic couture era of Riccardo Tisci and Claire Waight Keller designing collections with a streetwear edge that were imbued with sleek tailoring and a utilitarian aesthetic. Initially his leadership got off to a turbulent start considering the Pandemic era fashion calendars which provided little possibility for creative showmanship. Following a series of mixed critique, Williams found his bearings devising intricately conflated presentations that mixed punk streetwear with the elegance that is known to be Givenchy.

Despite his efforts, the house of Givenchy has still struggled during his tenure to compete with other houses such as Celine, and Loewe where a more streamlined creative vision has been the catalyst for commercial success. After a recent third quarter presentation, Givenchy was omitted, sparking concerns that the house is still underperforming.

“I don’t believe Givenchy is on the front foot and may well be below the pre-pandemic revenue level,” said Luca Solca, the fashion analyst in a BoF interview.

Inaugurated in 1952, Hubert de Givenchy founded his house in the French capital upon the principles of dressing a sophisticated clientele. Perhaps most famous for the recently auctioned LBD that was worn by a particular Tiffany’s breakfaster, the house has been led by a series of unmistakable talents since 1995 when Givenchy passed on the reigns, shortly after, LVMH absorbed the house into its portfolio in 1998. John Galliano, Alexander McQueen, Julien MacDonald are only some of the figureheads that have challenged and tweaked the original aesthetic producing collections that resembled something old world yet imbued an element of niche.

A quick look back at some of Williams greatest collections would have us commemorate his efforts for the f/w 2023 men’s ready to wear where Williams showcased his collection inside a white box, or perhaps his first runway debut in 2021 where some of his music buddies provided fanciful backdrops. Caught between the interpole of sartorial haute couture, and oversized swagger, Williams represents a talent of many facades, and has consistently demonstrated a clear understanding of refined tailoring. Sleek with an edge. Williams is also best known for his hardware adorned accessories and proclivity for leather goods over his technical understanding of apparel, which is perhaps why he has struggled to meet the demands of an esteemed ready to wear label.

“You find the pieces of the puzzle for a collection, building it from symbols and signs, but never forgetting the reality of the person who will wear it and bring it to life, said Williams in a GQ interview following his debut.

Considering the announcement of new leadership at Tod’s and at Rochas in the past few days, it will be interesting to see what comes next on the roster for the house of Givenchy. Since the departure of Sarah Burton at McQueen earlier in September, Alessandro Michele at Gucci, and Riccardo Tisci at Burberry, luxury fashion has undergone a whirlwind of creative transformation as of late and there has been a steady consensus amongst the public following the lack of diversity in luxury houses that a new leader should be one that best represents the times. Although little is known about Givenchy’s next steps, it has been confirmed that the next outputs will be designed by Givenchy’s in studio team and if they will design according to the fashion schedule for the coming year remains to be seen.

Words by Alexander Mays