Hubert de Givenchy was born to a wealthy family in France, in 1927. At the age of 10, after visiting the World's Fair in Paris, he set up his mind; he would be a fashion designer. At 17, after graduating from the school of Art in Paris, Givenchy was apprenticed to designer Jacques Fath and spent eight years working for other designers, including Elsa Schiaparelli and Christian Dior. In 1952 Givenchy opened his own couture house in Paris, earning immediate praise with his printed and embroidered fabrics & his inspirational use of accessories. Givenchy haute couture collections were refreshing, invigorating, he adapted traditional garments with the new necessities of the modern traveling woman. In 1953 the young Givenchy meets Audrey Hepburn, a manifestation of femininity and graceful beauty, the film star became his inspiration and with her assistance Givenchy became noticeable by Hollywood's leading movie stars, the brown-eyed beauty was even quoted saying: "Givenchy is far more than a couturier, he creates personalities" A revolutionary in many grounds, Givenchy was the first designer to present an elegant luxurious collection of women's ready-to-wear in 1954, and the first couturier to introduce short skirts in 1958 (so women could show their knees for the first time since the 1920s), his work combines classic elegance with dare, audacity and a modern touch. Since 1988, French fashion house Givenchy belongs to the LVMH group. In 1995 winner of "best British designer of the year" John Galliano was hired to bring Givenchy into the modern era, after switching to Dior, another talented Englishman by the name of Alexander McQueen took his position. Today, after more than 50 years of setting new trends in high fashion, Riccardo Tisci is in charge of portraying the gracefulness of haute couture and pure French elegance of the Givenchy fashion house.
