Givenchy

The Fabulous Life and Career of the French Designer Givenchy

Hubert de Givenchy was born in a small town in France in 1927. Because his father passed away at a young age, he was raised by his mother and grandfather. His grandfather was an artist and had a significant influence on the young boy. When he was only ten years old, he decided that he would work in Fashion. He decided this after he was inspired by the World’s Fair and would go on to study at the École des Beaux-Arts. Another thing that the designer did before he opened up his own house was work for Robert Piguet and Elsa Schiaparelli. Another fun fact about this fashion designer is that he grew to be 6 feet and 6 inches. This was an especially tall height for the time period.

In 1952, he opened the House of Givenchy in Paris, France. During this time, he also decided to name his first collection after super model, “Bettina Graziani”. Another woman that he worked with that significantly influenced his career was Aubrey Hepburn. They met one year after he had opened the House of Givenchy while they were on the set of, Sabrina. They instantly hit it off and he designed dresses for multiple movies that the star was in. The most famous movie that he styled for the amazing Aubrey was, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”. One of the words that describe the clothing that he created during this time period was elegant. They had a strong friendship for over forty years and influenced each other’s careers greatly. Another thing that he did for the actress was develop his first perfume line. He named the two fragrances L'Interdit and Le de Givenchy. She promoted the perfume and it was a major success. This was innovative because actresses were not traditionally the main spokeswomen for fragrances. Models were previously the main pick for Companies that wanted to promote their perfume.

In 1973, he continued to excel in his career and started his own men’s line. He named it “Gentlemen Givenchy”. During this time, he also expanded his distribution network in order to reach the United States and some Far East countries. The fact that he could transition from women’s to men’s fashion is indicative of his versatility and talent. Additional products that you can purchase from the popular designer are perfume, makeup, skin care products, and more. When it comes to make up, the company is known for being full of a lot of color and life. And the skin care line is known for being extra luxurious and light. The skin care line has been especially successful in the United States and Europe.

He revolutionized the fashion industry when he showed the first ever “ready to wear “luxury collection. Another unique style that came from this designer was the bag-dress. It represented a style that other designers were staying away from at the time. It was less tight around the waist, but had higher hem lines. The higher hem line allowed the models to show off their lengthy legs. He has since retired from the fashion industry, but you can occasionally see him on the television being asked to comment about big events like the wedding between Kate Middleton and the prince.

It is impossible to ignore the fact that Givenchy dressed some of the most gorgeous girls of all time. Some of the lovely ladies that he dressed were Jacqueline Kenny Onassis and Greta Garbo. His most famous muse was the astonishing Aubrey Hepburn. In 1988, he decided to sell his business to Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessey. This business decision allowed the designer to start thinking about his personal life and retirement. He officially retired in 1995, but his style continues to influence modern day designers and stars love to wear his designs.