Luxury Meets Utility With Givenchy's FW22 Ready-to-Wear Collection

Continuing to share his vision for Givenchy, Matthew M. Williams looked to utilize an haute couture approach to everyday clothing with the French luxury fashion house’s Fall/Winter 2022 Ready-to-Wear collection. The mix of luxury and utility offers a unique flair to men’s and women’s staple pieces. Silhouettes found in the seasonal range explore everything from equally easeful and monumental, ornamental and practical, layered and direct.

Backstage, HYPEBEAST caught Williams in conversation with A$AP Ferg, discussing post-show all of the inspirations and key looks that they enjoyed. Notably, Williams said: “It’s about treating things that are ‘every day,’ like a piece of denim or a graphic T-shirt, in the same kind of way we would with a couture dress. Givenchy has a heritage of graphic T-shirts and I wanted to embrace that, so all of those graphic jersey pieces were built on the body last week, and they’re all a singular piece, not styled.”

Per the press release, the Creative Director also said: “I really wanted to create a synthesis of powerful, sophisticated femininity, with an interplay of multiple American and Parisian influences, sports and craftsmanship. Next to her stands a contemporary man with an instinct for chic nonchalance. On the runway, both are grounded by a sense of reality.”

As with everything he does, Williams’ reveled in standing between formal and informal, developing wares that are tastefully pure and audacious. Aside from processed denim styles that recall the designer’s roots are sequins and pearls which serve as an homage to Hubert de Givenchy’s penchant for ornamentality.

Coming in a practical color palette of rich browns, greens, greys and blacks, the FW22 plays with tailoring for eye-catching silhouettes for layered volumes and textures accented hand-embroidered detailing. While washed jersey is experimented with in the form of graphics and 4D print embroidery. The established sensibility of Givenchy is respected through structured single- and double-breasted forms coming in lighter wools and flannels. A particular focus is brought to bottoms with tailored trousers paired with voluminous overcoats and denim styles that contrast satins expressing varying lengths with intricate ruffles, hand-smocking and pleats.

Hubert de Givenchy’s haute couture archive is referenced through hardware that takes on the form of jewelry and pearls. Other revivals include an ocelot print from 1955 and black thistle that is prominently featured on jewelry and shoes. The leather elements found throughout the collection are continued on the signature Givenchy stretch boots, New Hobo, Kenny and 4G bags marked by the signature Lock hardware and updated forms.

Rounding up the collection is the introduction of the TK 360 sneaker, which helps build Givenchy’s expanding footwear lineup. The shoe expresses an innovative fully knitted form dressed with graphic lines that lens a sporty feel pushing the wearing sensibility of the entire range.

Check out the collection above and catch Givenchy’s FW22 Ready-to-Wear show below.

For more contemporary fashion, JiyongKim shares developed wares with its FW22 collection.