After going big on color and volume in his runway show for Givenchy last season, Matthew Williams returned to a more pared-back approach with his pre-fall line, which homed in on wardrobe basics with a twist.
“It was really focusing on reinforcing the codes that we’ve established since the beginning of my time here at Givenchy,” said the designer, who’s been at the French fashion house since June 2020.
There were new iterations of his signature hardware, such as the U-Lock padlocks that fastened asymmetric flaps on cool trenchcoats, and the square metallic G-Lock closures that glistened on sleek black jackets and coats.
Williams also deepened his research into denim, saving the most experimental techniques for men, with pieces including rip and repair jeans that were bleached and then re-dyed, bringing the underlying 4G monogram in and out of focus. On the women’s side, he lasered jackets and jeans with a micro monogram normally used for hosiery.
The star strap system on the back of a white lace-trimmed slip was a nod to an original design by founder Hubert de Givenchy. The wispy dress provided a delicate counterpoint to the minimal tailoring, which included a streamlined version of the peplum jacket introduced for spring.
At the forefront of sneaker innovation, thanks to his ongoing collaboration with Nike, Williams brought in two new styles this season.
The futuristic shoe with a bulbous heel that he teased on his spring runway will be launched officially with the pre-fall collection, due to go on sale in May. It’s the result of a new technology whereby TPU thread and a classical stretch sock are knitted to create a one-piece fully knitted sneaker.
A more traditional model, the G4, is made by dyeing leather using CO2 gas to push pigment into the skin. “It’s a more sustainable process of working with leather because it saves water,” Williams noted.
The designer started working with recycled nylons at his 1017 Alyx 9SM label several years ago and has used sustainable materials in his collections for Nike and Moncler, but he’s remained low-key about his efforts, since much research into eco-design is a work in progress.
“I just think it’s a base-level choice that should be made when you have the opportunity, and it’s also sometimes hard because there’s so much ability for contradiction. When you try to do one thing that’s good, the world finds a reason that what you’re doing isn’t as good as it could be, so you know, I’m just doing what I can,” he said.
At Givenchy, it turns out, he’s not the first to think sustainable. “Hubert did his first collection with upcycling: He used fabrics from Schiaparelli to make his first collection, so it’s in the brand’s DNA,” Williams revealed.
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