Matthew M. Williams Unveils First Collection For Givenchy
Women’s and Men’s Ready-To-Wear offerings for SS21.
Shortly after being announced as the new Creative Director of Givenchy, Matthew M. Williams of 1017 ALYX 9SM fame has delivered his first collection for the French fashion house. Started in the midst of the pandemic and completed in just two months, the Women’s and Men’s Ready-To-Wear offerings for Spring/Summer 2021 explores Givenchy through a stream of consciousness for Williams.
According to Matthew M. Williams, “You find the pieces of the puzzle for a collection, building it from symbols and signs, but never forgetting the reality of the person who will wear it and bring it to life. The women and men should be powerful and effortless, equal and joyful, a reflection of who they really are – only more so. It’s about finding the humanity in luxury.”
Revealed via a lookbook shot by artist Heji Shin led by art direction from Peter Miles Studio and styling by Lotta Volkova, the SS21 collection surveys archive elements that point to the past, present and future.
An undeniable focus of the collection is hardware, which Williams uses to touch on gendered notions of jewelry and accessories. The “Lover’s Lock” introduced is a unisex utility, decoration, commitment and emotion the unites women and men of Givenchy. The symbolic luxury hardware serves as a symbol of Paris inspired by the lost locks of Le Pont des Arts and its punctuated design marks Williams’ commitment to the world of Givenchy as a first proposal as the house’s Creative Director.
Continuing the feeling of elegance and playfulness established by Hubert de Givenchy and Alexander McQueen, Matthew M. Williams looked to establish the idea of pragmatism that fuels his outlook for fashion. The SS21 collection is developed around contradictions exemplified by the use of technical materials balanced by the traditional, natural and opulent design. Some examples include cotton Ottoman for both genders in outerwear, technical taffeta in tailoring and structured Punto di Milano jersey in dressmaking, that reveal tradition is respected yet refined and re-contextualized. Aside from offering his take on the Antigona bag, Williams developed a new unisex Cut-Out bag and G chains that pay homage motifs tied to the history of Givenchy. To round up the inaugural range, Williams also brought in his understanding of denim to develop casual archetypes built around denim treated with technical coatings in both paint and resin.
In case you missed it, Matthew M. Williams recently revealed Givenchy x Wild & The Moon cold-pressed juice.
