Due to the current climate, fashion is prime for change, and at Givenchy, new designer Matthew Williams has joined the brand at a pivotal point. On the heels of his predecessor, Williams has simultaneously reinvented the wheel for the French design house, all the while flushing out all remnants of Clare Waight Keller’s mark on the brand after her short tenure as creative director. Last week Williams began teasing his vision for the iconic brand on social media, and following Givenchy’s spring 2021 collection we’ve now got a further look at the 34-year-old American designer’s vision for Givenchy with his debut collection.
“I’m not a person who designs in themes. It’s very much product-focused. A lot of it is what I would wear personally,” Williams told Vogue
Joining a luxury design house during this new age of fashion is perfect timing for Williams, who has been grouped with the likes of Virgil Abloh and Kim Jones. Both Abloh and Kim are part of the new generation of creative director hype and Williams is primed to join the ranks. His first collection exuded power and was chic and elegant while edgy at the same time. Williams spoke to Vogue about his inspiration or lack thereof stating, “I’m not a person who designs in themes. It’s very much product-focused. A lot of it is what I would wear personally”.
Unsurprisingly, Givenchy’s new hardware took center stage in this collection, though logos were noticeably absent. Perhaps it seems that Williams is working to make Givenchy identifiable by its new unique hardware as its taken the place of logos. This collection featured both new bags as well as updated takes on existing bags, proving that though Williams is setting forth a new direction for the brand, he will continue to pay homage to the brand’s history.
The most notable existing silhouette included in this collection is the Antigona, which though still instantly recognizable due to its shape, featured a blank, clean triangular leather tab in place of the Givenchy logo, and long exaggerated handles. The newer version of this icon, the Antigona Soft, is given a magnified makeover and adorned with a bold, branded lock. New bags feature a whole lot of embossed croc and that aforementioned focus on hardware. Take a look below at all of the new bags from Givenchy and let us know what you think in the comments.
[images via Vogue Runway]
i’m sorry but this is one ugly collection. they long handles on the re-designed antigona are hideous.
im speechless i mean wow – what a monstrosity
I hate to say it but it’s realky ugly. Not Givenchy at all.
Back to the drawingboard Givenchy, this is a fail.
Hmmm, no! I love the Antigona but the long handles are horrible! Just no…
These are just awful.
Love the Antigona soft with the lock. A very refreshing collection overall in comparison to Prada and Dior, although I hope they’ll be continuing the existing Antigona lines too, they’re real classics.
Givenchiaga. Such a waste of leather.
I was coming here to write this, too! It’s a horrible collection!
The tote is an exact copy from Tom Ford’s spring 2020 collection.
Lots of similarities. On a different note, TF collection dehumanizes women since he uses nude models to advertise his products. That, and his collection always feels too simplistic and masculine for my taste.
I don’t buy TF except some makeup, but I remember the collection well. He also uses nude men, too. Inasmuch as I get the dehumanizing part, it’s still nice to see a designer doing something sensual as opposed to mom jeans and sweatshirts and grandpa sneakers. McQueen & Balmain are on the same page took, which I appreciate. I think nudity is beautiful though, we can’t just erase that. I think there’s a balance of celebrating nudity with also being respectful.
too*
I was excited with anticipation (you know the feeling of excitement for something new), but then was let down and disappointed. The one nice thing is the GGGG hardware that looks like jewelry; however, this will probably tangle up and then I’ll spend time disentangling it. #realbagproblems
I like the longer straps on the Antigona. The mini bags in picture 10 are cute. I even like the harness bag in picture 6.
Everything else is a MESS.
I really do like the collection and find it very interesting, but the bags look like something you can get at Zara for $60 and find on sale two weeks later.
Gimmicky
Why the pound of metal locks hanging off #19?
I wouldn’t give you two cents for any of these bags.
Based on this fiasco, and these comments, maybe it would behoove designers to develop a survey re: what women “really want in their handbags”. I enjoy creativity, originality, etc. but there has to be a balance that benefits all involved parties. Or, they can continue to listen to all of the a__kissers they employ to praise and glorify their designs.
It’s all a who knows who game. If you are trendy you are in. It’s quite a shame bc I know so many talented handbag designers (including myself) that could design circles around some of these “designers” and come up with amazing collections…..but we aren’t in those cliques so we don’t get afforded these opportunities. So sad.
I agree! My first thought was “oh, another male designer who doesn’t understand women”
I actually sorta like that angled sling pack, although I wouldn’t wear is directly over my right breast/chest like the model is. As a 36DD, I don’t even think it would be possible…
Perhaps it would be good for lots of walking around/traveling?
If I saw these bags at Target… I still wouldn’t buy one. They look like an attempt at designing an “it bag”. Like throwing everything at the wall hoping just one – “please oh please purse gods, let one of these trend” – lands.
I appreciate his idea to move away from just slapping the name of the brand on a bag and calling it a day (looking at you Dior, Balenciaga, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton), I just wish these were executed better. Chloe does a good job of having interesting and identifiable hardware, hopefully this will turn into that.
What a hot mess. It’s like Williams is trying a bit of everything and hopes for a few hits. Bags so large you could live in them to those tiny cubes which are cute but impractical. There is no unity to the collection. Big no.
OH, NO. NO, NO, honey what is you doin’?
Not impressed at ALL.
I actually kinda dig the off-white cream colored bags. I think branding with hardware instead of an explicit logo is clever, but most of the bags are just okay. While I also love the look of the bag in the last photo, I doubt it’ll look flattering once it has stuff in it. I think the overwhelming negative reaction is mostly groupthink–people are resistant to change, and once one person has something bad to say on posts like these, everyone else also jumps on the bandwagon. I think I will wait and see to give final judgement on Williams.
I feel like i need to see them in “everyday life” to know exactly how I feel about them