His collaboration with Audrey Hepburn made him shine: Who is Hubert de Givenchy?

Hubert James Taffin de Givenchy was born in 1927 in Beauvais, France, into an aristocratic family. After her father, the Marquess of Givenchy, died in 1930, her mother Beatrice, and grandmother Marguerite took care of the children. The family title of Marquis passed to Hubert's older brother, Jean-Claude. Later in his life, Jean-Claude became head of Givenchy's perfume department.

Count Hubert James Marcel Taffin de Givenchy (20 February 1927 – 10 March 2018) was a French aristocrat and fashion designer who founded the luxury fashion and perfume house of Givenchy in 1952. He is famous for having designed much of the personal and professional wardrobe of Audrey Hepburn and clothing for Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. He was named to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1970.

Moving to Paris in 1944 to study Fine Arts, Hubert de Givenchy considered studying law for a short time, but eventually decided on a career in fashion. He was a big fan of Balenciaga. They became good friends in the later years of his life. But in 1945 he was disappointed that he was not accepted to the position of Balancieaga's assistant. At the age of 17, he apprenticed to Jacques Fath. After that, he worked with important designers such as Lucien Lelong, Robert Piguet, and Elsa Schiaparelli until 1952, when he founded his own brand.

Givenchy as a Brand

In 1952, at the age of 25, he opened his own fashion house. Hubert managed to survive with his designs at a time when rising costs were driving many fashion houses into bankruptcy. Her first collection, which he prepared with limited resources, was named after the model Bettina Graziani. This collection was a great success with many pieces that became the favorites of the fashion people, including the blouse known as the "Bettina Blouse".

By the late 1950s, Givenchy was in the upper echelons of the Paris fashion world. Like Yves Saint Laurent, one of the designers with whom he shared the summit; he was creating clothes for an elegant young female figure. Clinging to the sense of luxury, Givenchy always avoided populist elements in its designs, thus succeeding in establishing a classic and sophisticated style.

In 1957, her first perfume, "l'Interdit" (Forbidden), was launched under the name Perfumes de Givenchy, which he founded with the advice of her friend and mentor Balenciaga. Especially at the end of the 1950s, these two designers were working very closely; not just out of their curiosity for simple, linear silhouettes, but literally close. Because Givenchy moved his studio directly across from Balenciaga's in 1959. They were also inspired by each other in their designs, in response to Balenciaga's famous "sack dress" design, Givenchy would release the "balloon coat" and "baby doll" dress. In the same year, when Balenciaga decided to present his collections to the public one month after everyone else, despite the press against copying his designs, Givenchy would also be a partner in this decision.

Seeing that the dominance of the fashion world shifted to a younger audience in the 1960s, the designer began to include shorter skirts and simpler cuts in her collections. In the 1970s, under the direction of Balenciaga, Hubert de Givenchy included Haute Couture collections in his brand. In these years, the brand reached different areas from men's clothing, accessories, household goods, and even a car design in partnership with Ford.

One of Givenchy's most famous clients, America's First Lady, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, wore a Givenchy design during her visit to the Versailles Palace in Paris in 1961. Aristocratic names such as Princess Grace of Monaco and Duchess of Windsor Wallis Simpson, and artists such as Maria Callas, Marlene Dietrich, and Greta Garbo were among the famous clients of the designer. However, Audrey is the brand's customer first; but then she who would become the designer's close friend and muse would later be identified with the brand.

A Brand Marriage: Givenchy and Audrey

One of the highlights of Hubert de Givenchy's legacy was his collaboration with Audrey Hepburn. According to the story, Audrey, who heard Givenchy's praise from an acquaintance during the shooting of the movie Sabrina in 1953, goes to the roof-door designer's workshop in Paris. And she asks him to make some outfits for the movie. Givenchy apologizes, he says he would love it so much, but he couldn't take on such a big job because he was busy with his new collection. But not giving up, Audrey insists on seeing what she already has and ultimately decides that these are exactly what she's been looking for. Both sides benefit from Audrey's insistence. Because his designs in Sabrina won Givenchy an Oscar for Best Costume.

Thus, a style of collaboration was born that will continue both on the big screen and in their personal life. This relationship, which began in 1953 and continued until Audrey's death in 1993, was later described by Givenchy as "a kind of marriage". According to what they said, this cooperation, based on mutual excitement and trust, and respect for each other's taste, was based on a very harmonious understanding. After Sabrina, their friendship deepened during the shooting of "Funny Face" in 1957. Following this, they worked together on a total of 7 films.

The fashion house's reputation has reached an international level thanks to this partnership, and they have created many iconic images from the history of fashion and cinema, including the black dress at "Breakfast at Tiffany's." It was the first time an actress appeared in an advertising campaign after Givenchy asked Audrey to be the face of the perfume "l'Interdit" in 1958.

Givenchy's Recent History

In 1988 Givenchy joined the major luxury brands group LVMH (Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton). In 1995, on the brand's 43rd anniversary, its founder and naming father, Hubert de Givenchy, retired and lived in his chateau near Paris. John Galliano briefly took over as the creative director of the brand after him, followed by Alexander McQueen's 5-year reign. Following Julien MacDonald, who became the head of the brand's women's collections in 2001, Riccardo Tisci became the head of the brand in 2005. Tisci, who is the person who adds a dark and sensual touch to the elegance of the brand with its architectural lines, said goodbye to Givenchy in January 2017. Clare Waight Keller took over as Creative Director of the brand after Riccardo Tisci. Hubert de Givenchy passed away on March 10, 2018.

In June 2020, Matthew Williams (founder of the 1017 Alyx 9SM brand) became the Creative Director of Givenchy.