Givenchy

The Givenchy S. A. [ ʒivɑʃi ], established in Paris is a 1952 by the French couturier Hubert de Givenchy founded, internationally known fashion companies, in addition to luxurious haute couture fashion for men also high-priced ready- to-wear fashion, accessories and perfume and cosmetics, respectively for women and gentlemen serving. The perfume division of the house, Parfums Givenchy SA, based in Levallois -Perret was established in 1957. In 1987, the perfume division and in 1988 the fashion division of LVMH was bought, in whose possession they are both to this day. Since 1995, Givenchy is conducted without the company's founder.

Company History

Hubert de Givenchy

Count Hubert de Givenchy (* 1927), derived from a French aristocratic family, and was therefore referred to by the press as " aristocrat of fashion," founded after several years of collaboration with other French designers - including Jacques Fath, Robert Piguet ( on the recommendation of Christian Dior ) and Elsa Schiaparelli - in Paris near the Parc Monceau in 1952 his own fashion brand names for exclusive Givenchy haute couture fashion. With combinations of white puffed sleeve blouse with erected collar ( named after his model Bettina Graziani " Bettina " blouse ) and long, narrow pencil skirts that he - lack of funds - tailored from pure cotton and other little precious materials, conquered de Givenchy exclusive Parisian fashion scene. After the first immense success he set a noble materials, but printed with this for haute couture unusual images such as fruits, vegetables or animals. Typical of Givenchy fashion were rich, vibrant colors and high waists in addition to luxurious robes with floral designs including oversized hats, and simple, elegant designs.

1953 Givenchy opened branches in Zurich, Rome and Buenos Aires. In the same year met de Givenchy, the American actress Audrey Hepburn know who was representing the ideal model for his fashion for him. For the then-emerging film Sabrina (1954 ), who plays the part of high society of Paris, Paramount had made ​​an appointment at de Givenchy for Hepburn, who, however, was initially mistakenly Katharine Hepburn expected and excited after a few fittings of Audrey Hepburn. Hepburn was at the film studios in a row that they would come in her films of de Givenchy, who clothed the petite actress with modern, feminine silhouettes, for example, in the aforementioned romantic comedy Sabrina - hence the " Sabrina " neckline of dresses, the the line of the collarbone to the shoulders follows - in Funny Face (1957 ), Breakfast at Tiffany's (film ) ( 1961), Charade (film ) ( 1963) or How to steal a Million ( 1966). De Givenchy is considered a co-inventor of the little black dress (originally by Coco Chanel in the 1920s launched ). Hepburn wore such a model in Breakfast at Tiffany's. The original dress was auctioned in 2006 for € 692,000 at Christie's in London. In 1956 Hepburn about Hubert de Givenchy declares: " Only in his clothes, I feel myself " The collaboration with Hepburn, in 1993 lasted until the death of the actress, the Givenchy brand made ​​famous as Hepburn to a style icon. Other prominent customers of Givenchy included over the years Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis ( contributed media attention at the funeral of her husband in 1963 Givenchy ), Empress Farah Pahlavi, Grace Kelly, the Duchess of Windsor, Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo, Lauren Bacall, Jeanne Moreau or Ingrid Bergman. 1953 appeared a Givenchy model on the cover of American Life magazine. In 1954, Givenchy, as at the time more than any other haute couture house, a clothing line for ladies one, called Givenchy Université (1968 Givenchy Nouvelle Boutique renamed ).

In the late 1950s and 1960s, a heyday for the house of Givenchy, to de Givenchy oriented with its fashion often to his mentor Cristóbal Balenciaga, whom he had met in 1953 in New York City, and presented more classic, purist models. 1954 pulled the Givenchy atelier in the Paris Avenue George, in a house across from Balenciaga headquarters. The loose-fitting sack dress was a 1957 invention by Givenchy and Balenciaga. In 1968, the Japanese de Givenchy Issey Miyake as a design assistant. After Balenciaga's withdrawal from the fashion world in the same year de Givenchy was regarded as "King of Haute Couture". 1973 Givenchy Men's Fashion, Givenchy Gentleman was launched. In the 1970s, the Givenchy portfolio was eventually expanded to shoes, jewelry and table linen in the licensing area. The house forgave the mid-1980s to the 180 licenses. 1976 equipped Givenchy even from the interior of a Ford Lincoln Continental. The 1970s and 1980s were marked at Givenchy from timeless - ladylike designs that had to stand up to the sometimes wild creations of other Parisian designers.

Parfums Givenchy

In 1957, Hubert de Givenchy, along with his brother Jean-Claude de Givenchy ( 1925-2009 ), the Parfums Givenchy SA, chaired by Jean Claude took over. The first perfume of the house, L' Interdit, was created in 1957 nor for Audrey Hepburn by Hubert de Givenchy and brought only a few years later to the market. Hepburn also appeared in advertisements for Givenchy perfume. In the same year the women's perfume Le De went on sale; In 1959, the first men's fragrance named Monsieur de Givenchy. Since then, numerous fragrances have been launched by Givenchy; Only in 2012 came to the ten new creations or variations of existing fragrances on the market. Furthermore, there are make-up and cosmetics series of Parfums Givenchy.

LVMH

In the late 1970s Givenchy brothers tried to sell the perfume division for the sake of the capital requirements for the fashion division, which succeeded in 1981 with a sale to Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin. Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin again - and thus also Parfums Givenchy - was acquired by LVMH in 1987. LVMH bought the year after the fashion division of Givenchy. Hubert de Givenchy had given his company to the conglomerate LVMH, headed by Henry Racamier ( 1912-2003 ). That brief period of French manager Bernard Arnault would stand at the head of LVMH later, de Givenchy could not have imagined in 1988. Parfums Givenchy is licensed perfume also for other brands here, such as for the fashion brands Kenzo, which also is part of the LVMH Group, and Michael Kors.

In 1995, Hubert de Givenchy retired at the urging of the new LVMH owner since 1989, Bernard Arnault, chief designer of Givenchy and presented in July his last haute couture collection in Paris. He was succeeded in early 1996, the eccentric Englishman John Galliano and Dior after Galliano change to yet at the end of the same year the British also enfant terrible of the fashion scene, Alexander McQueen. McQuen created for Givenchy almost every season collections in a completely different style, eventually fell out with Bernard Arnault and was released in 2001. McQueen was replaced in 2001 by his compatriot Julien MacDonald, who remained until 2003. From 2003 to 2006, the British menswear designer Ozwald Boateng created the menswear at Givenchy, whose collections were praised by the experts. Galliano, McQueen and MacDonald had helped not right with their sometimes audacious and inconsistent designs, re- establish the Givenchy brand as prestigious luxury brand. The creations had indeed achieved a lot of attention, the sales figures, however, were dropped. Hubert de Givenchy described the designs of Galliano and McQueen 1999 disrespectfully as " the opposite of beauty and elegance." This changed after two years without a women's fashion designer head slowly from 2005.

Givenchy

Since 2005, the then relatively unknown, Italian Givenchy head designer Ricardo Tisci is responsible for the haute couture and prêt -à -porter collections for women; He is also responsible for the men's fashion of the house since 2008. Tisci Givenchy gave his by the press from 2007 highly acclaimed fashion collections for which he can be influenced at times of rock ' n ' roll and gothic, new look, advanced the accessory collection and created the popular Nightingale handbag. 2008 Givenchy equipped the singer Madonna on her Sticky and Sweet tour with costumes. 2009 debuted the Givenchy Redux collection for women, a slightly less price- intensive second-line with best-selling models from previous seasons. Since 2010, the house of Givenchy presented his haute couture models no longer during the fashion shows, but in presentations as Salon de Couture for a select audience.

LVMH does not publish figures for individual brands of the Group, and therefore not for Givenchy, announced in the annual reports for the financial years 2010 and 2011, however, are that sales of Givenchy based on the previous year increased two digits ( "double- digit revenue growth " ).