In the world of fashion power structures, the Kering group carved out an interesting, one may say old school strategy. Handpicking the new wunderkind in a world full of aspirational fashion school graduates has been their unique selling strategy in the past years. Instead of diving into the pool of names with big followings, Kering wants the underdogs, the rough diamonds to polish before they gleam in the limelight. We watched it firsthand three years ago when Kering gave its reigns of Bottega Veneta to Daniel Lee and last year, Givenchy secured the self-taught designer Matthew M. Williams as the house’s new creative director.
Image Courtesy of Givenchy
Taking over a major house comes undoubtedly with a lot of responsibility, structure and tradition, and yet, Williams created a hyper-modern, free-spirited and creative universe for the brand. His clothes are art in their own form, but they are meant to be worn. Contrary to most high fashion houses, whose clothes are comparable to highly secured paintings in the Louvre, Williams’ creations resemble the atmosphere of beautifully drawn graffiti art. It’s the kind of graffiti that appears on hidden walls where you’d never expect it and once you pass it, it soaks you in, it blows your mind. Unconventionally beautiful, the designer manages to juxtapose his unique DIY aesthetic and his edginess within the golden walls of a traditional French Maison. His clothes carry the spontaneity and honesty only graffiti behind a train station could express. Diving into Kering’s favouritism of the underdogs, when Williams decides to collaborate, he looks out for talent and passion over blatant following numbers.
Image Courtesy of Givenchy
For his latest collaboration, he partnered up with his friend, the Japanese graphic artist Chito, who prefers to live in her own world over the exposing flashlight of the art world. For the accessories range of their collaboration, they united their creative forces: Williams’ unique attention to detail with Chito’s signature airbrush series, reminiscent of graffiti and urban street art scenes. A union of spray-painted characters and traditionally crafted bags, they attach an edgy attitude to hand-crafted leather bags, democratising the art inaccessible to many. In terms of footwear, the collaborators created a limited edition of Matthew M. Williams iconic Marshmallow wedges with a contrasting airbrushed 4G emblem. In times of constant uncertainty, the two settled on showcasing Chito’s signature, a cartoon dog, standing for loyalty and protection on their tennis shoes. Taking the seriousness out of high fashion and combining it with never seen before collaboration, does not only celebrate the fun, it also opens new horizons and leaves space for thinking and conversation.
Image Courtesy of Givenchy
Collaborating further, the duo will launch a set of 15 NFTs today on OpenSea after taking inspiration from the movement. Democratising the way that fashion ownership works, NFTs have opened a new way of operating that is more accessible. In order to follow Givenchy’s wish to stay sustainable and eco-conscious, Givenchy will launch the collection on the Polygon network, which is known for its minimal eco-consumption. The NFTs are all unique digital artworks, unable to be replicated that the collector can use as an online avatar or PFPs (profile pictures). “I’ve been wanting to explore this new and exciting space of NFTs. The fact that Chito is already active in the ecosystem made it feel even more natural for us to collaborate on this limited series and bring our collective vision for Givenchy even further”, states Williams.
Image Courtesy of Givenchy
A modern hybrid creative due is celebrating their vision on French style in this collaboration. It’s the start of a new chapter, blending the digital with the physical, disrupting the existing belief system about fashion. They are opening up the experience of something so precious to everyone, just like graffiti did with the art world.
Image Courtesy of Givenchy