Hubert de Givenchy: A career in pictures
- Published
Born in 1927 as Hubert James Taffin de Givenchy to an aristocratic family in the French city of Beauvais, he established the fashion house of Givenchy in the 1950s at just 24. Pictured here backstage at his first Spring collection show in 1952.
After he met Audrey Hepburn to design ensembles for the film Sabrina, they would develop a design relationship and friendship that he said became "a kind of marriage". She is quoted as saying of Givenchy that "he is far more than a couturier, he is a creator of personality".
He dressed her personally and in pictures for decades, and in her most well-known films including Funny Face and Breakfast at Tiffany's. His little black dress look for Hepburn in the latter 1961 film would become arguably his most iconic. He said in 2010: "The little black dress is the hardest thing to realise, because you must keep it simple."
Former US First Lady Jackie Kennedy was among other celebrity fans of the designer, here wearing a veil and neat black Givenchy suit on the day of her husband, John F Kennedy's, funeral in 1963.
The 1950s and 60s were Givenchy’s golden years, but the designer continued to innovate in later life. At 6ft 6in (1.98m) tall, he was described as a giant of fashion in every sense. (Pictured: Haute-Couture Spring Collection Evening Gown 1979)
Givenchy sold the business to Moet Hennessy-Louis Vuitton in 1988, but continued designing at the helm until his retirement in 1995. Other designers took the business reins after he moved on, including John Galliano, Alexander McQueen and Riccardo Tisci.
His final collection for the Fall/Winter season 1995-1996 ended his celebrated 43-year career. Before the show, he reportedly told his friends: “I’ve stopped making frocks, but not making discoveries. Life is like a book; one has to know when to turn the page.”
After his retirement, he lived a life of comfortable discretion, making some appearances at events honouring his lifetime of work. Pictured here in 2016 at the Gemeentemuseum for the To Audrey with Love exhibition - celebrating his 40-year friendship with his fashion muse.
Announcing his death, the fashion house paid tribute to the 91-year-old, calling him a "symbol of Parisian elegance for more than half a century". His partner, the former haute couture designer, Philippe Venet, said he had died in his sleep on Saturday.
- Published12 March 2018
- Published24 September 2017
