One of the most celebrated couturiers of his time, Hubert de Givenchy’s family has announced that the designer passed away on Saturday, March 10.
Givenchy started his remarkable fashion career at Robert Piguet in 1946 and then moved on to working for Lucien Long where the heritage house’s current competitors Pierre Balmain and Christian Dior were his colleagues.
By the end of 1947, he had joined the avant-garde design studio of Elsa Schiaparelli and soon became their artistic director.
Aged 91 at the time of death, the French designer and aristocrat founded the house of Givenchy in 1952, his earliest collection was called ‘Separates’ giving high society women an opportunity to choose from sets and actually style their outfits for the first time.
Hubert’s personality and naturally the house’s aesthetics are synonymous with classy elegance and aristocratic good manners. His long-time muse, British actress and model Audrey Hepburn, a major style icon in the 40s-50s, was the epitome of just that.
In popular culture, the ace designer was most widely recognised for costuming Hepburn in classic films like Breakfast At Tiffany’s, How to Win a Million and Funny Face, among countless films, events and personal life.
Givenchy’s work has always been a go-to choice of influential personalities like First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, Princess Grace of Monaco and the Duchess of Windsor.
Givenchy himself retired from the fashion house in 1995 and creatives like John Galliano, Alexander McQueen and Riccardo Tisci have all worked and infused their own persona into the brand’s DNA since then.
Most recently, the Parisian fashion house appointed its first female Artistic Director, Clare Waight Keller. She continues to reference his graphic black and white signatures while also instilling a sense of masculine femininity that the late designer was very enthused to see.
In a statement, Keller lamented the loss saying, “Not only was he one of the most influential fashion figures of our time, whose legacy still influences modern-day dressing, but he also was one of the chicest most charming men I have ever met. The definition of a true gentleman that will stay with me forever.”