Matthew M. Williams - Designer

[bc collector]

But I think the main difference is that Riccardo’s own collection and his first Couture really showed a talent. Riccardo’s appointment was due to his talent

He showed talent but not exactly groundbreaking - his own collections owed more than one bit to Margiela, for example.

 

[Lola701]

He showed talent but not exactly groundbreaking - his own collections owed more than one bit to Margiela, for example.

And his whole career owed a lot to Gianni Versace and Helmut Lang...
But we can’t deny that his aesthetic has always been consistent and Givenchy only gave him more confidence.

Williams’s Givenchy will be successful in terms of sales because they are betting in the dynamic of the streetwear market that is working at Dior and Vuitton.

But personally, I’m more worried about the fashion aspect. I just hope that his work won’t be what I call « Vogue.com moodboard inspired ».

 

[SophiaVB]

I actually quite like Alyx (own a couple of pairs of shoes) but I agree with the Alexander Wang comparisons. I have not seen anything that indicates there is enough substance or talent to create actual "fashion" outside of a few trendy streetwear-inspired pieces & a Rolodex of it-girl friends like Bella Hadid.

 

[dodencebt]

On a side note, that soft Antigona bag is gorgeous.

 

[boykidlat]

Looks like Givenchy by MMW has dressed one of its first celebrities: K-pop star Sunmi. That dress though...

 

[perhydrol]

They've already started to push this awful collection in social media via influencers and celebrities. Of course Givenchy will try to create hype around this new direction, but it's too early and people will be completely fed up with the looks by the time they hit the stores. The same thing happened to Bottega Veneta in a way. They really tried to push Daniel Lee's aesthetic on instagram and it somehow became tortured and worn-off.

Back to Givenchy, the clothes look way worse outside the lookbook tbh.

 

[boykidlat]

I saw a comment online that Emily in Paris must have cooked up the marketing campaign and thought that was hilarious!

Fashion-wise I appreciate Alyx, but MMW for Givenchy isn't just working for me (based on what I've seen at least). The outfits on Kaia, Maria Sharapova, and Sunmi look very Project Runway

 

[reesewu]

Apparently he has a feature in Purple Magazine in which he was photographed naked. OMG is LVMH that desperate? Why are they trying to turn him into a sex god? They should’ve pushed him to design better than entertained his seemingly over-inflated ego.

 

[GivenchyAddict]

^I am more interested in knowing what happened with his quick divorce this year with Jennifer who ended up being pregnant of Blondey Mccoy and delivered the same year...

 

[Lola701]

Apparently he has a feature in Purple Magazine in which he was photographed naked. OMG is LVMH that desperate? Why are they trying to turn him into a sex god? They should’ve pushed him to design better than entertained his seemingly over-inflated ego.

I don’t think LVMH is trying to turn him into a sex god...
It’s more using the platform LVMH sets for him to appear sexier. I mean he is inspired by Riccardo.

 

[MagFan]

Photos by Olivier Zahm
Groomer Akemi Kishida
Photographer’s Assistants Marilyn Clark and Fred Valezy
Set design by Clara Marti

purple.fr

 

[Lola701]

Maybe he wants to be seen as the enfant terrible or disruptor but it’s actually embarassing...
I just don’t get it...
And I’m sure people at LVMH don’t get it either.

 

[Phuel]

^^^ This person looks like a leftover from the Affliction/Ed Hardy/Philipp Plein crew.

When there’s absolutely no talent of design, they need to pimp the designer to hustle all that trash. Kanye’s first trainwreck of a collection before he found his identity with Yeezy was way way way superior to this person's cheapness.

 

[bc collector]

Maybe he wants to be seen as the enfant terrible or disruptor but it’s actually embarassing...
I just don’t get it...
And I’m sure people at LVMH don’t get it either.

Well, they should have thought more carefully before hiring him then...

P.S. : An afterthought. If you have the guts to want to be shot naked, just go for it, instead of coyly covering your junk like in a teen magazine or an IG picture. There's a difference between being transgressive and posing as one (provided nudity is transgressive anymore these days...).

 

[GivenchyAddict]

hahahahahahaha @Phuel you killed me! Honestly, these photos seem absolutely not genuine. I don't believe him at all in this rebellious fashion-forward designer he tries to appear. When Pilati did naked for Vogue, it was nice. Rick Owens did it well, Riccardo with his bum showing was fantastic, Tom Ford it was fun and irreverent !

and the necklace

 

[Phuel]

^^^ Naked Tom/Stefano/Marc/Riccardo selling sex was fun and absolutely self-aware. And they had the talent to back up their bare arses (as heavily retouched as Tom’s was…). This does feel and look as desperate as a beard: He’s so thug life (so desperate to make that chunky chain his thing...) while selling twinkwear to Little Monsters 10 years too late :shudders:

 

[Overindulgence]

 

[Lola701]

Well, they should have thought more carefully before hiring him then...

P.S. : An afterthought. If you have the guts to want to be shot naked, just go for it, instead of coyly covering your junk like in a teen magazine or an IG picture. There's a difference between being transgressive and posing as one (provided nudity is transgressive anymore these days...).

I think sometimes, people think that LVMH have this grand masterplan to push their designers or to make them do what they don’t want to.
Those guys have total creative control but prerogatives. Part of the PR game is exposure, you have to do press. Raf, for example was never comfortable with it. Marc became very comfortable with it after his diet...

Williams getting the Givenchy job is mostly based on the potential Alexandre Arnault saw on him.

As someone who has worked in those kind of environment, I can tell you that creatives are sometimes the hardest part to handle in the business. On one hand, you are happy because the CD play the game but on the other hand, this kind of thing is kinda weird even more in this climate.

Even if Stefano was working with Tom, I can tell you that people were surprised when he posed naked. Remember his look back then...Super dapper and all, very precious.


But you are right, if you go naked, go for it! There’s no sense of confidence in those photos. He looks like someone who wants to prove himself.

 

[perhydrol]

Well, I don't think it was purely LVMH's idea because it seems that he's got too much control over the brand and its image. It's seems that he really wants to make sexy clothing, or instagram-sexy, and at the same time he can't even make a decent thirst trap without looking ridiculous.

 

[GivenchyAddict]

Even if Stefano was working with Tom, I can tell you that people were surprised when he posed naked. Remember his look back then...Super dapper and all, very precious.

That's true. But Pilati being naked was awesome because it felt very YSL imo. I hate everything try hard to be honest and Williams looks like he is one big try-hard guy. You can tell he never sent nudes in his whole life. Same for Daniel Lee being topless for Cultured mag. Never understood the reason of this photo.