Riccardo Tisci has left Givenchy, the house he has helmed for 12 years. 

Givenchy revealed the news of the separation, which is said to be “mutual and amicable”, to WWD. “The chapter Riccardo Tisci has written with the house of Givenchy over the last 12 years represents an incredible vision to sustain its continuous success, and I would like to warmly thank him for his core contribution to the house’s development,” the house said in a statement. 

As for Tisci, the designer expressed his thanks to Givenchy’s owners, saying, “I have very special affection for the House of Givenchy and its beautiful teams. I want to thank the LVMH group and Monsieur Bernard Arnault for giving me the platform to express my creativity over the years. I now wish to focus on my personal interests and passions.”

Since taking over in 2005, Tisci has transformed the house with his unique vision which combines gothicism, sexuality and a street sensibility. Way back in 2010, he cast a trans model in a show (Lea T, his longtime personal assistant) and enlisted the likes of Julia Roberts and Donatella Versace to star in his campaigns. More recently, he collaborated with his close friend, legendary performance artist Marina Abramović, on Givenchy’s SS16 show which was staged in New York last year. 

As for Tisci’s next move, it’s widely rumoured that he’s heading to Versace where he’ll take up the position of creative director – though the house has dismissed these allegations. “Donatella Versace is the creative director of the company and at this time we do not have any plans to change that,” a representative told WWD last month. “Beyond that, of course, we do not comment on rumours.”

Two weeks ago, Tisci held his AW17 menswear and SS17 couture show for Givenchy, which we now understand to have been his last. Describing the collection as “seeing Western America with the eyes of a child”, the show saw the designer pay homage to his old friend, Vogue Italia editor Franca Sozzani, who sadly passed away last month.