S/S 2014 Givenchy Zen Magazine Editorial Inspiration - Multicultural Models

Internet Ref: Okwodu, J. (2015). Lara, Joan, Lea, and Mariacarla: Riccardo Tisci on the Models He Adores and the Careers He’s Made. Available: http://www.vogue.com/13266964/riccardo-tisci-interview-top-models/. Last accessed 18th Feb 2016.

Image URL: http://zenmagazineafrica.com/fashion/givenchy-springsummer-2014-campaign-featuring-rb-beauty-erykah-badu-maria-borges-3-hot-models/

Riccardo Tisci for Vogue, Interview April 3rd 2015:

Givenchy’s casts are always incredibly diverse—is that a deliberate move or something that simply happens organically?

"I think we’re all the same, and beauty is something that doesn’t have culture, religion, or color. I opened my second couture show with nine black girls; some of them I’d discovered, some of them were established like Naomi Campbell or Liya Kebede. I did it in a very naive way and, in retrospect, a very honest way. I remember all the magazines talking about the casting, and that surprised me. People make such a big deal about using black girls in your casts, but it shouldn’t be a big deal—it should be normal. Your cast should have everything that is related to your world and your aesthetic. It doesn’t matter what their race is, what their gender or sexuality is, you should represent beauty—beauty is beauty."

“It’s 2013. Everybody’s being so cool about Instagram, about Facebook, about social media—everybody’s being so open. At the end of the day, why are not so many black girls or Latin girls in shows? When you have an American president who is black! When I see this happening, it’s quite sad, I think. People can be so avant-garde, so advanced, but actually not, because people are still making differences between skin colour.” - Zen Magazine, Erykah Badu, Maria Borges and Asia Chow for Givenchy's Spring/Summer 2014 Campaign

This editorial spread holds a significant level of influence in regards to its relevance within the aesthetic of my personal editorial campaign. Givenchy are known for their fresh take on beauty as within an industry dominated by white models they stand to include a diverse cast of ethnic and cultural backgrounds. My editorial in particular focuses its style around that of a 70's based trend aesthetic and therefore I feel personally that it is important to fully incorporate the cultural events of what was going on within that era into my images. The key events of this decade were that of the Civil Rights Movements which stood for raising awareness of the multicultural community within the United States and advocating equality. As my garments will be themed within this decade it makes sense to me to embody the cultural events within my model casting. Taking inspiration from the S/S 2014 campaign for Zen Magazine which made a point of including models of a variety of backgrounds I have established a similar concept for my own shoots. An additional element that make this editorial campaign all the more captivating is that of the choice of garment and posing, again the models are placed in the classic Givenchy monochromatic palette which in itself is dominating. This use of black and white is enhanced further by the strong stances of the women within the images, all of which stand tall and with eye contact. Dominating the frame. Givenchy editorial emphasis the empowerment and in these images place particular emphasis on the strength of women regardless of background, culture or race.