Then again, Givenchy has alway punched well below the weight of its reputation, the bulk of which was forged in the Hepburn years. The Givenchy archives are surprisingly thin on distinctive originals. Nor was there ever a memorable bag to match the quilted, gilt chained shoulder Mademoiselle 2.55 that Coco Chanel came up with in 1955.
Hubert de Givenchy retired in 1995, replaced firstly by John Galliano, who saw it as a stepping stone to the much bigger prize of Dior, then, in 1996 by Alexander McQueen. That was a marriage made in hell, as McQueen made apparent. He left in 2001. There was a fruitful period under Italian designer Ricardo Tisci, during which the house became a magnet for Kardashians. Tisci was good at designing bags, but more importantly, T-shirts adorned with pictures of cartoon Bambi which became an important cash cow. Too important arguably, for a brand that aspired to be high luxury.
As for Waight Keller – her collections were well-reviewed and badly merchandised. There was no sales bounce from the Royal connection – but as we have frequently seen, even Kate cannot save a brand in distress (Temperly, Jonathan Saunders, Mulberry…all brands she has patronised have experienced rocky times or closed).
Meanwhile, Toledano, who only assumed chairmanship of the board of Givenchy this year, has an enviable record for maximising brands. Having lured Alessandro Valenti, from Louis Vuitton, one of the world’s biggest, most profitable luxury brands to be Givenchy’s new CEO in June, he already had one impressive jigsaw piece in place. Valenti will have been mainly responsible for sealing the deal with Burton. “I eagerly anticipate the new creative energy Sarah will bring as she works alongside our outstanding teams in our exceptional workshops, and we embark on this new chapter in the history of Givenchy,” he says.
