8. Givenchy (1952)
Hubert de Givenchy was born in 1927 in Beauvais, France. He comes from a family with artistic propencity. At the age of 17 he moved to Paris where he studied at École des Beaux-Arts.
Givenchy started designing at the age of 18. He worked with Jacques Fath, Robert Piguet, Lucien Lelong and also worked at Elsa Schiaparelli before he founded his own fashion house in 1952.
At the age of 25, he was the youngest designer of the progressive Paris fashion scene. His first collections were characterized by the use of rather cheap fabrics (for financial reasons) always piqued curiosity through their design.
Cristóbal Balenciaga had the biggest impact on Givenchy’s visionary mind. For 40 years Givenchy wore his mentor’s white coat at the end of each show. “Monsieur Balenciaga gave it to me” “It is like a talisman, a protection, a second skin”, Givenchy told Vogue in 1991.
Givenchy dressed Audrey Hepburn for almost 40 years. The two met when he was presenting his first collection. Hepburn became the ambassador of Givenchy’s designs and even the little black dresses worn by her in Breakfast at Tiffany’s were designed by him.
