In perhaps the biggest creative director switch-up of the year — and Clare Waight Keller just exited Chloé, so that’s saying a lot — Riccardo Tisci has officially left Givenchy. WWD reports that Tisci will not present a Fall 2017 collection at Paris Fashion Week next month. His final Givenchy designs walked the runway last month, during the French house’s joint Fall 2017 menswear and women’s couture show.
This is no Slimane-Saint Laurent situation — the parting was amicable, mutual. It was a conscious uncoupling, if you will. Said Tisci to WWD, “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.” While there’s no word yet on a successor, we do have an idea where the celebrity designer is headed. Widely circulating rumor has it he’ll take up Anthony Vacarello’s unmanned reins at (Versus) Versace. (Looks like Zayn’s capsule collection will indeed be a one-off.)
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Wherever he goes, we hope Tisci stays true to his edgy, gothic aesthetic and continues to incorporate delicate lacing, embroidery, beading and other such accents into the equation. During his 12-year, 93-collection tenure at Givenchy the designer served up some serious streetwear hits (the Rottweiler and Bambi tees), breathtaking wedding dresses (Kim K) and unforgettable red carpet looks (Beyoncé, Rooney Mara). In fact, his pop-culture footprint and Instagram following is so large, he’s more than equipped to helm his own brand if that whole Versace thing turns out to be a myth. (Though, based on the tone of his Insta-goodbyes, we’re beginning to wonder if he’s leaving the fashion realm altogether.) We suppose we’ll have to wait and see.
Riccardo Tisci walks his final Givenchy runway; Image: Imaxtree
