Givenchy SS14. Photography by Mert & Marcus.
Last week it was announced that Riccardo Tisci will depart from Givenchy after 12 years as Creative Director. This era-ending statement has fuelled suspicion that he will bring his signature gothic glamour to Italian house Versace. We take a look back at what we loved about the fashion visionary’s campaigns during his tenure.
Givenchy SS13. Photography by Mert & Marcus and styling by Carine Roitfeld
HE FEATURED STRONG CREATIVE WOMEN
Yugoslavian performance artist Marina Abramovic made an appearance in the SS13 campaign. The monochromatic images shot by Mert & Marcus also feature Kate Moss and long-time muse Mariacarla Boscono. “They are people I love and who love me,“ Tisci says of his subjects.
Tisci cast musician and style icon Erykah Badu in Givenchy’s SS14 campaign. She manages to embody Tisci’s aesthetic whilst simultaneously retaining her own distinctive personal style, including her fondness for statement headwear.
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MERT & MARCUS MADE VIDEOS FULL OF PERSONALITY
Dance has become a recent trend among fashion campaigns and shows. Yet seasons before the current craze, Tisci got models moving. Mert Alas and Marcus Piggot brought FW14 to life in a video that features a selection of Tisci’s muses — including Jaime Bochert and Mariacarla Boscono — dancing to the sounds of The Martinez Brothers in a glam hotel suite.
In Givenchy’s SS16 campaign video another stellar selection of models attempt to answer the question famously posed by German musician Haddaway: What is love? Tisci helps us out, proclaiming, “Everyone can do something very small, some gesture of love.“
Givenchy FW10 by Mert & Marcus
Givenchy SS11 by Mert & Marcus
HE CELEBRATED DIVERSITY BEFORE IT WAS COOL
Tisci began casting diverse models in his campaigns long before the rest of the industry. He first cast transgender model, personal assistant and friend, Lea T for AW10. The advert caused a huge stir and pushed the topic of trans visibility into the public eye.
Mert & Marcus’ bewitching SS11 imagery also saw Tisci do away with traditional casting, selecting albino model Stephen Thompson alongside Dutch model Daphne Groeneveld. Thompson also appeared in the Givenchy runway show that following season.
Givenchy FW15 campaign shot by Mert & Marcus
HE MADE DONATELLA THE FACE OF HIS AW15 CAMPAIGN
Tisci’s decision to cast fellow designer and close friend Donatella Versace in his AW15 campaign was unusual to say the least. “We thought it was time to break boundaries and give a strong message about how to think Fashion,” said Tisci. Donatella added, “I believe in breaking rules….I want to get rid of the old system, work together, support each other and make fashion a true global community.”
Take a look at the best fashion campaigns of SS17 here.