After 26 years at Alexander McQueen (a record), a Kering brand, the talented and discreet artistic director is moving to the competition, to the LVMH house. A highly anticipated spoils of war… And a first fashion show for March 2025 in sight!
We’ve been waiting for months for this appointment at Givenchy, the LVMH brand. Sarah Burton’s name had been circulating for several weeks months since she announced her abrupt departure from the Alexander McQueen studio a year ago – almost to the day. This house dear to her heart, she officiated there for 26 years, starting as an intern, then right-hand woman to McQueen who dubbed her his successor before his death, and finally as artistic director from 2010 to 2023. Shaped by the history and codes of this very special house, and despite her indisputable talent, we wondered about her ability to blend back into a brand with a heritage. And at Givenchy, what a heritage…
Also readSarah Burton: ‘I watched a lot of Lee’s early years’
Inseparable, for us French, from the aristocratic elegance of Hubert de Givenchy and for the Americans, from the black dress of Audrey Hepburn, the brand bought by LVMH in 1988 was first a creative laboratory for Bernard Arnault. After dismissing the founder, he appointed the turbulent John Galliano, quickly transferred to Dior, and replaced by the no less subversive Alexander McQueen – a creative period that could speak to the newly appointed designer…
Leemage
After the latter’s departure, and a lull, it was the Italian Riccardo Tisci who reinvented Givenchy’s DNA, from 2005 to 2017, with his “street couture” which was a precursor at the time. The British Clare Waight Keller, whose name was supposedly slipped to Bernard Arnault by Karl Lagerfeld, successfully relaunched couture from 2017 to 2020 and, above all, designed Meghan Markle’s wedding dress in 2018 – ironically, it was Sarah Burton who had created Kate Middleton’s wedding dress at McQueen in 2011. On the other hand, Waight Keller did not know how to give a real soul to ready-to-wear. In 2020, it was the turn of the American Matthew Williams to relaunch the Givenchy machine. Alas. The thirty-year-old has never managed to create the fashion identity of this brand whose business is mainly based on the sale of perfumes.
Today, it is a magnificent challenge for Sarah Burton who, during her McQueen years, has never ceased to create, far from trends, a wardrobe for a powerful woman with radical femininity and a couture approach. It is a great honor for me to join this magnificent house that is Givenchy, a true jewel. I am very excited to write the next chapter in the history of this iconic house and to bring my own vision, sensibility and convictions to Givenchy. “, she declared in the press release sent by the brand this Monday, September 9.
« Sarah Burton is an exceptional creative talent whose work I have followed passionately for many years, adds Sidney Toledano, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Givenchy. I am very pleased that she is joining Givenchy today. Her unique vision and approach to fashion will be a key asset for this iconic house, renowned for its audacity and haute couture. I am confident that her creative leadership will contribute to the future successes and international influence
of the house. » First collection expected in March 2025!
Related News :