Matthew M. Williams - Designer

[Kimihiro]

What options do they have at this point? If they keep hiring these one trick pony designers it’s only going to get worse. The house is just so irrelevant. It needs a visionary and better management.

 

[THD96]

Maybe the relationship between Haider and LVMH is not healing yet. A missed opportunity to right all the wrongs.

It's logical for LVMH to choose one of their prize winners. That's how we got Jonathan at Loewe after all, and we saw the results are fabulous.

As for Nensi, I'm indifferent. She established her aesthetics but she needs to evolve because I don't think what she's doing right now is enough to take on another brand.
If she does take Givenchy, I think they should let another designer do menswear. Because that's the department that has been suffering the most recently. I don't think she is ready for menswear.

Kris Van Assche can do the menswear while Nensi does the women. It's not groundbreaking but it can work. Or just give Kris the whole brand. His version of streetwear always feels more luxe and elevated. His womenswear maybe won't be exciting but it cannot get any worse than what we currently have right now.

 

[Yasouss]

What's Lucas Ossendrijver doing these days? he can head up the menswear department. He really pushed the envelope at Lanvin with the high-end designer sneakers and technical / sportswear look before it became the norm.

 

[LadyJunon]

What's Lucas Ossendrijver doing these days? he can head up the menswear department. He really pushed the envelope at Lanvin with the high-end designer sneakers and technical / sportswear look before it became the norm.

I think that he's been turned off from high fashion and his practices (Lanvin seemed to have turned into a hellscape in that gap between Alber and Bruno). He'd be at odds at Givenchy.

By his last show for Lanvin for fall 2018, Ossendrijver was already questioning the usefulness of the show system and designer-priced clothes. “In fashion I think luxury is a strange word nowadays,” he said at the time. “It doesn’t mean anything anymore. We have to elevate how we make clothes and discover how by changing that you can change fashion.” Installed at Theory, he’s on his way.

Source: Vogue US

 

[Kimihiro]

This brand needs a quick defibrillation. Idk honestly, someone probably commercial enough but will deliver the hype and push it forward. In this era where would you put Givenchy in fashion? The brand‘s identity is just so vague that it needs someone who can create a clear cut identity like Riccardo did. It doesn’t have to be a star designer. Someone like Alessandro before.

It’s a bit overcrowded at LVMH fashion group right now. Celine, Fendi and Loewe are all doing well and it seems that only those three are getting attention. I feel sorry for Matthew in a way because everyone’s already plotting his exit, even if most of it is his fault. They shouldn’t have let CWK have menswear.

 

[Drusilla_]

^I just hope she steps it up, if she's indeed the next candidate. I'd still rate her over Williams, and sometimes exposure to the resources available at the atelier can lead to an expanded pov.

 

[Frederic01]

LOL.

Givenchy Reveals Plage Collection of Ready-to-wear and Accessories for Summer
The capsule collection encompasses looks that can be worn from street to shore.

APRIL 25, 2023, 12:01AM



Givenchy has unveiled Givenchy Plage, a swim and beachwear capsule of ready-to-wear and accessories that is hitting stores and online this month. Inspired by both the lifestyle and colors at Le Clos Fiorentina, Hubert de Givenchy’s seaside estate in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat.

WWD

 

[LadyJunon]

Just fire him already. I know that they're waiting for his contract to expire (CWK was May 2017 - April 2020, Matthew Williams from June 2020), but is it worth it?

Burn the bridge, appoint the second-in-command for the June and October shows and go on from there.

 

[perhydrol]

This maison makes me anxious already. Now there are rumours that Jacquemus may be considered as the replacement and let's face it, that would be even worse than MMW's tenure.

 

[LadyJunon]

This maison makes me anxious already. Now there are rumours that Jacquemus may be considered as the replacement and let's face it, that would be even worse than MMW's tenure.

Rumors from where? If this was back in 2017, it'd be all for it. In 2023? We'd need Jesus.

 

[Deleted member 7575]

This maison makes me anxious already. Now there are rumours that Jacquemus may be considered as the replacement and let's face it, that would be even worse than MMW's tenure.

True. Out of the frying pan and into the fire!

 

[Deleted member 7575]

Just fire him already. I know that they're waiting for his contract to expire (CWK was May 2017 - April 2020, Matthew Williams from June 2020), but is it worth it?

Burn the bridge, appoint the second-in-command for the June and October shows and go on from there.

Well, I think there are a lot of reasons why you would want to let a contract expire rather than break it.

I'm sure they have a plan in place and a strategy on how to segue into the next chapter.

But I really hope they learned their lesson with these half-***ed designers. A designer must have a real and compelling vision and some actual skill in clothesmaking to successfully lead a brand!

 

[THD96]

Worse in terms of what? I mean Matthew already showed us the worst in terms of dressmaking and tailoring so it's a challenge for Simon to do worse.

One thing that Jacquemus succeeds while Matthew is failing is that the former knows how to create a believable cohesive vision for his brand. The products may be mediocre but the machine behind them work hard to make them desirable for their target audience.

It makes sense if Simon gets the job, he was a LVMH prize alumnus. Givenchy should follow the long-term strategy of Loewe if they want to be a part of the fashion conversation again.

 

[Deleted member 7575]

Apparently the Jacquemus rumor is already confirmed to be false.

 

[Deleted member 7575]

Worse in terms of what? I mean Matthew already showed us the worst in terms of dressmaking and tailoring so it's a challenge for Simon to do worse.

One thing that Jacquemus succeeds while Matthew is failing is that the former knows how to create a believable cohesive vision for his brand. The products may be mediocre but the machine behind them work hard to make them desirable for their target audience.

It makes sense if Simon gets the job, he was a LVMH prize alumnus. Givenchy should follow the long-term strategy of Loewe if they want to be a part of the fashion conversation again.

Simon might be an even lousier designer than Matthew.

 

[susseinmcswanny]

This got me thinkin, what do you do when a brand is dead like this? Should they just close up shop? There's already so much sh*t out there so what's the point of dragging this out? No one cares. If it were me, I'd do a complete revamp like Gucci and Balenciaga did. Get rid of the "streetwear" and be the leader in a new movement. Focus on a more classical glamour, something more mature and conservative. Start with Breakfast at Tiffany's. Doesn't mean it has to be old, outdated, stuffy, etc. Just the way the property of waves work everyone's gonna get tired of being so boundary-less. To me this is a win/win. Restoring some order for people that enjoy what's been missed for so long AND since all these companies focus on the 25 and under market, who are already mentally obese from social media, they will move with the ebbs and flows of what's new to come.

 

[Deleted member 7575]

This got me thinkin, what do you do when a brand is dead like this? Should they just close up shop? There's already so much sh*t out there so what's the point of dragging this out? No one cares. If it were me, I'd do a complete revamp like Gucci and Balenciaga did. Get rid of the "streetwear" and be the leader in a new movement. Focus on a more classical glamour, something more mature and conservative. Start with Breakfast at Tiffany's. Doesn't mean it has to be old, outdated, stuffy, etc. Just the way the property of waves work everyone's gonna get tired of being so boundary-less. To me this is a win/win. Restoring some order for people that enjoy what's been missed for so long AND since all these companies focus on the 25 and under market, who are already mentally obese from social media, they will move with the ebbs and flows of what's new to come.

The healthy and responsible thing to do would be to close it down but we live in late stage capitalism and Arnault didn't become the richest man in the world by shutting down businesses.

Givenchy is an opportunity to make a lot of money and as long as that is the case it will never die.

My guess is that lvmh conducts a lot of research and collects a lot of consumer and market insights which they use to plot business strategies for their various brands.

Then they hire a designer who fits the strategy.

I think we're exiting this craze of luxury houses turning themselves into tacky streetwear brands. What does a designer's name mean if their heritage and codes can be thrown out so easily just to make a buck?

It may have looked attractive and it may have even been successful for some folks but I think the long-term damage is coming into focus and I think we're seeing it at Givenchy.

Like so many of you guys have already mentioned, the Givenchy brand has become very muddled. Now is the time to reclaim its heritage and remind people that it used to be this great couture house.

 

[Salvatore]

It’s fun to think about what I’d do if I was at different fashion houses. Givenchy is a tricky one as we all know and have stated due to it not really having « iconic codes » like Chanel, Dior, or even Versace.

In my opinion, that’s when you have to think like Hubert. He was an aristocrat who lived a certain privileged lifestyle. Get into that lifestyle he lived and his perspective and then you can start developing some codes. Maybe Givenchy needs to go the route of focusing more on Haute Couture than PAP and all things precious. Make it regal and precious and limited and beef up the fragrances for example. I think, in fact, it could stand to be even more precious than Dior, but slightly more niche. Schiaparelli with a budget.

 

[Deleted member 7575]

It’s fun to think about what I’d do if I was at different fashion houses. Givenchy is a tricky one as we all know and have stated due to it not really having « iconic codes » like Chanel, Dior, or even Versace.

In my opinion, that’s when you have to think like Hubert. He was an aristocrat who lived a certain privileged lifestyle. Get into that lifestyle he lived and his perspective and then you can start developing some codes. Maybe Givenchy needs to go the route of focusing more on Haute Couture than PAP and all things precious. Make it regal and precious and limited and beef up the fragrances for example. I think, in fact, it could stand to be even more precious than Dior, but slightly more niche. Schiaparelli with a budget.

But that would require talent, vision, and experience.

 

[Salvatore]

But that would require talent, vision, and experience.

Oh, absolutely. But also, I feel like Givenchy needs a designer that’s aristocratic or privileged, yet a bit willing to push some buttons … a Karl Lagerfeld. That’s a rare talent.