Just when you thought the game of fashion designer musical chairs had ended for the year, 2023 has delivered us one last shock exit. Givenchy has announced that creative director Matthew Williams is set to leave his post at the French house after just three years at the helm. As reported by WWD, the label has confirmed that Williams will depart on January 1, 2024, but gave no indication as to who his predecessor might be. His last collection will be both men’s and women’s pre-fall 2024, due to be released via social media over the next couple of days.
“Leading the creative direction of Givenchy was, as I said upon my arrival in 2020, the dream of a lifetime,” said the designer in a statement. “Over these three years, I have strived to perpetuate Mr Hubert de Givenchy’s legacy while bringing my own creative vision and I would like to sincerely thank the studio, [Givenchy president and CEO] Renaud de Lesquen, and LVMH for this incredible opportunity.”
In the same statement, de Lesquen praised William’s time at the company, stating that “his collections, resolutely creative and contemporary, have sparked a new dynamic and found their audience. I join everyone who has had the pleasure of working with Matthew in wishing him every success in his next ventures.”
Williams took over from his predecessor Clare Waight Keller in June 2020, and launched his first collection in December of the same year, at the height of the Covid pandemic. Williams’ departure from Givenchy comes just two weeks after news that his streetwear brand 1017 Alyx 9SM had secured a new round of investment from the Hong Kong entrepreneur Adrien Cheng.
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