Givenchy and Matthew M. Williams go seperate ways

Having just strengthened the capital base of his brand 1017 Alyx 9SM by selling a majority stake to Hong Kong billionaire Adrian Cheng, Matthew M. Williams is about to take another major step. On January 1, the American designer will step down as creative director of French luxury house Givenchy. He took the helm of the brand in June 2020.

“Leading Givenchy’s creative team was, as I said when I arrived in 2020, the dream of a lifetime,” says Matthew M. Williams in a statement. “Over the past three years, I have worked to continue the legacy of Hubert de Givenchy while bringing my own creative vision to the table and I would like to sincerely thank the studio, Renaud de Lesquen and LVMH for this wonderful opportunity.”

The brand points out that, under the creative direction of the designer who received a rather cold reception from critics for his first collections and whose legitimacy was too quickly undermined, Givenchy has “modernised its entire product offering, notably with the U-Lock jacket and the iconic Voyou bag, which will be launched in early 2023.” The modern style of Matthew M. Williams, who is one of the designers with strong streetwear inspirations, has enabled Givenchy to reach out to an American clientele, in particular the highly-prescriptive hip-hop and US sports stars.

It is difficult to determine the economic impact of the American’s work, given that the group does not detail its brand’s overall sales. The only available indicator is the results filed with the Paris Commercial Court by Givenchy. After two years largely in the red in 2020 and 2021, with sales of €220 million and then €261 million, compared with a profit of €314 million in 2019, Givenchy achieved encouraging results in 2022. The French company, despite a slight deficit saw sales jump to €302 million.

“I would like to thank Matthew for all the energy he has brought to Givenchy,” said Renaud de Lesquen in the statement released on Friday December 1. “His collections, which are resolutely creative and contemporary, have created a new dynamic and found their audience. I join all those who have had the pleasure of working with Matthew in wishing him every success in his next adventures.”

For the 38-year-old designer, his next adventures will most likely be focused on 1017 Alyx 9SM. As for the next designer to take over as creative director at Givenchy, the brand has not yet given a name. It simply states that “Givenchy will continue to embody a singular and audacious vision of elegance through its forthcoming collections, which will be created by the House’s studio teams.”