PARIS: French luxury goods company LVMH named on Monday Sarah Burton, the longtime-Alexander McQueen designer behind the Princess of Wales’ 2011 wedding dress, as the new creative director for its Givenchy label.
The choice of the seasoned British designer, who joins Givenchy after nearly three decades at rival Kering’s Alexander McQueen label, signals a new aesthetic direction for the label, filling a role covered by design teams since the end of last year.
Her predecessor, Matthew M. Williams, left Givenchy in December after three years. Known for his streetwear approach, Williams had mixed hoodies into lineups of sharp tailoring on the Paris catwalk, and embellished bags and shoes with prominent zippers and extra straps.
Burton, a famously discrete designer with a loyal following and strong design credentials, is known for flattering, deconstructed styles at McQueen, and carrying on the legacy of the label’s founder, Lee McQueen following his death.
She had worked alongside him for 14 years before becoming creative director in 2010.
Her appointment at the French fashion house, founded in 1952 by Hubert de Givenchy, comes as the fashion industry grapples with a global downturn in spending by luxury shoppers, particularly in China, where a property crisis has dampened appetite for high-end goods.
Wealthy shoppers have become pickier, and are favouring more classic styles over flashier, streetwear looks.
Givenchy is known for sparking the idea of the perfect “little black dress” as a wardrobe staple, after designing a gown worn by Audrey Hepburn in the 1961 film “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”
Kering late last year, as part of an expansion drive at McQueen led by CEO Gianfilippo Testa, replaced Burton with a relatively unknown designer, Sean McGirr.
She will present her first collection for Givenchy next March, LVMH said.
Under Burton’s direction, the label will “continue to innovate and captivate an extensive audience across the world stage”, Givenchy CEO Alessandro Valenti said in a statement.
A longtime Louis Vuitton executive who most recently headed the LVMH-owned label’s Europe and Middle East operations, Valenti was appointed to head Givenchy in July last year.
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