"For the Spring-Summer 22 collection, I wanted to build on the tradition of Givenchy's history while also really looking towards the future. To do this, I worked with people I admire across different disciplines who have truly unique perspectives including the artist Josh Smith, whose iconic work is incorporated throughout the collection, and the musician Young Thug, who created the entire score for the show. The collaboration and this collection offer people a remarkably immersive and special experience." Matthew M. Williams, Creative Director, Givenchy

In Matthew M. Williams’ Givenchy, there is a mix of luxury and utility, lavishness and austerity, together with imperfect beauty and humanity. It points to the distinctly emotional side of the business of luxury and fashion that is sometimes forgotten in its confines; something that Williams is keen for all to partake in, particularly in this first live show experience.

Bridging the classical, radical and practical, the silhouettes for both women and men explore the tension between extravagance and discipline, tradition and today. Material experimentation and construction of the silhouette is combined with an intense contrast in clothing that could only be achieved and exist now. At the same time, the collection embraces tradition, the techniques of the salon and timelessness, proving that these distinct elements are not mutually exclusive. As always, at Givenchy, both classicism and subversion play a part.

A stratification of eras and influences is found in the clothing, purposely layered and juxtaposed in looks: traditional masculine tailoring fabrics are featured in women’s and menswear, mohair wools, Napa leathers, cotton herringbones and Prince of Wales checks are bonded with neoprene and sculpted in form, applied to both corsets and peplums – drawn from Monsieur de Givenchy’s archive – together with shorts and minis, as well as more conventional suiting. Raw edges are cleanly sliced and embraced, adding a sense of modernity throughout; delicate Broderie Anglaise is contrasted and exposed, bound in as trim, while tulle and transparencies add lightness, freshness and airy appositions; the urbane savoir-faire of the house and the homespun simplicity of handcraft are brought together in intricate tooling and ‘basket woven’leatherwork, with macramé and raffia techniques for both clothing and bags.