Givenchy S/S 2016 - The Story Behind It All

Film Ref: ModEyes. (2015). Givenchy Creative Director Riccardo Tisci Interview English. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcQkkUP-t1M. Last accessed 1st Feb 2016.

http://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/
spring-2016-ready-to-wear/givenchy

Richardo Tisci, creative director of the Givenchy S/S 2016 collection regarded the show as a performance of symbolism. The idea was to create an iconic homage to the face of New York city through the collections story at fashion week. Tisci who has been working on shows for the past 12 years commented that people were very excited for this collection and when the show was released the reaction was almost suffocating. The collection was intended as a performance, an embodiment of art, music, beauty and theatre combined to exhibit the world that Tisci had been constructing at Givenchy for the past 10 years. The collection for the S/S 2016 show had a total of 89 looks, 20 of which were menswear, 15 haute couture gowns and the rest were womenswear. The collection was inspired by the theme of weddings with bridal wear being a front-running concept throughout each garment. The gowns in particular were constructed with the delicate and romantic embroidery, to harmonise with the use of beautiful lace and silk. The use of a bridal theme embodies this ideology of how love renders all equal, a key ideology behind Tisci's inspiration. Regardless of class, colour, gender or sexuality we are all equal in our ideas of love. The collection was a combination of this through its merging of elegance and the everyday. A second combination came from that of the womenswear collection that embodied the masculine tail coats with that of ornate lingerie. Lingerie was a focal point for the show along with the features of tuxedo suits that harmonised the couture gowns. This combination of lingerie and bridal attire brings forwards another contrast in that of sexuality and religion, two opposites that regardless sit beside one another and advocated within Givenchy's collection.
Tisci states that he took much of his inspiration from the concept of "street couture" across all areas of life. Forever keeping in mind the concept of sexuality and confidence within ones own gender. We see this throughout the collection with similar garments being worn by both male and female models, just with minor alterations to create a more flattering garment. A key example of this is within that of menswear which featured a number of kilts, an item that embodies both feminine elements but heavy masculine connotations due to its heritage and history within Scottish ancestry. New York was another symbol of inspiration for the shows construction, in particular its representation to many as a symbol of freedom and expression. The evolution of popular culture, history and the birth place of contemporary art. The whole city embodies change. This degree of history resonates personally with that of Tisci who strived to come to America as a child with an aspiration to be a part of the evolving cityscape. This sense of awe and embodiment of New Yorks symbolism to the masses was the building block for Givenchy's catwalk. The honesty of how this industrial landscape of wood and metal has combined both the wealthy and the poor was the mainframe for the shows design. This heavy focus on opposites within one place leads on to the question of how this concept is translated throughout the show. Of corse within the industrial design of the runway, with contrasts of wood and metal, the presence of New York industrialism in very apparent and a similar technique is seen within the garments. The main colour scheme throughout is that of black and white, the use of which embodies this idea of harmonising contrasts. Street and couture, masculine and feminine, religion and sexuality, light and dark are all key themes within the show that can be created through the story of the garments.