In the fashion world, October is the calm after the storm. September comes in a frenzy, with most of the biggest fashion weeks and the most special Vogue covers and changing colours, and then we have October: less hysteria, but just enough events to keep you entertained. This year, October was different, as was almost everything else. In this short piece, I’ve picked some of the biggest fashion events of October to talk about, with the exclusion of Halloween, which is this Saturday.
Matthew Williams in Givenchy
This year, some of the Fashion Month hype bled into October, as most of Paris Fashion Week took place this month. With it came Givenchy’s Spring/Summer collection, Matthew Williams’ first collection for the iconic French fashion house. What was once a symbol of femininity and grace, has taken a full transformation under Williams’ lead. It could be the change of muse, from Audrey Hepburn to Kanye West, or it could just be the change of the times. Williams is not the first and certainly will not be the last designer to marry streetwear into luxury houses. He is also not the first man at Givenchy to be a close friend of West’s. In fact, he started his fashion career as a manager in a small brand, which somehow led him to West in 2007 when he was asked to design his jacket for the Grammy Awards. In 2015 he founded 1017 Alyx 9SM, a streetwear brand with roots in contemporary culture. Elements of Alyx can be found in the sleek, minimalist looks, but his inspiration from previous designers cannot be denied. The streetwear aesthetic is a sure nod to Ricardo Tisci, another friend of West’s and the current chief executive director of Burberry. On the opposite end of Givenchy’s history, slight hints of John Galliano’s romanticism and Alexander McQueen’s bold pieces can be found in some designs. To put it in short, Williams’ Givenchy is his Alyx but with ramhorn heels, instead of futuristic chelsea boots.
Perhaps integrating streetwear into historical fashion houses is something we should be getting used to. Although it is hard to let go of the image of Audrey Hepburn in her black dress, fashion is ever changing, and right now the industry demands more modernity and boldness. Despite Clare Waight Keller’s many efforts to bring back some of Hubert de Givenchy’s elements, the most prominent one being Meghan Markle’s Hepburn-inspired wedding look, her attempts were futile, and her successor had a new vision for the house. This kind of shakeup can be either massively successful, like Demna Gvasalia’s Balenciaga transformation, or a total failure. For Givenchy, only time can tell. Nonetheless, here are some of our favourite looks from the collection:
Kenzō Takada’s passing
Covid-19 claimed the life of another legend, this time fashion designer and icon Kenzō Takada. Born in 1939 in Himeji, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, his love for fashion developed at an early age. His life was not without hardships, but he was most famously known for his beaming smiles and humour. He dropped out of Kobe University to pursue a career in fashion at Bunka Fashion College in Tokyo as one of their only male students and despite his parents’ disapproval. After graduation, he got a job designing clothes for girls, but his life changed when his department block was torn down for preparation of the Olympics and he received 10 months rent as compensation. He used money to travel to France by boat, and after a long journey, finally arrived at Paris in 1964 when he founded his own fashion house, Kenzo. The fashion house took the industry by storm. While the likes of Karl Lagerfeld and Gianni Versace were extremely talented individuals deserving of their fame, it is undeniable that making it in France as a gay, Asian immigrant requires a different level of talent and endurance. Although his initial plans were to stay in the city for six months, he spent 56 years of his life there; 56 years of making history, being a representative of East Asia in the centre of fashion itself. Through his work, he used traditional Japanese patterns and Kimono textiles as a way to empower Asians in the West. His work was an inspiration to many, and his success was proof that fashion is not only for the privileged.
In addition to massive success, Paris also brought him many friends and most importantly the love of his life. Takada first met Xavier de Castella at the birthday party of Paloma Picasso, Pablo Picasso’s daughter, in 1980. They soon became lovers, and stayed together till de Castella’s untimely death in 1990. This, along with the death of Atsuko Kondo, his pattern maker and right hand from the start, caused a lot of emotional trauma for the designer. If that was not enough, in 1991 his mother passed away while he was on a vacation in Corsica, and he did not learn about the fact until after the funeral. Meanwhile, his manager at Kenzo, Francois Beaufume, was openly out to get him. After seeking advice with his close friends and fellow designers, Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent, he finally decided to sell his company to LVMH in 1993.
Despite no longer being the sole owner of Kenzo, he remained designer until 1999, when he decided to leave the fashion house for good, due to its frantic pace and commercial demands. The house continued to operate under different designers, but his impact was still there. For the spring/summer 2018 show, Humberto Leon and Carol Lim casted 83 Asian models to walk the runway, clad in pieces directly inspired by his work. The collection was designed for Takada’s muse and frequent collaborator Sayoko Yamaguchi and Leon’s muse Ryuichi Sakamoto. Takada still went to every show. He still wrote the designers handwritten letters after each collection. His team loved him, even his departure. Designers in other houses admired him despite their rivalry.
Although he may be gone, his impact on the fashion industry is one that will remain forever. He will continue inspiring generations to come, and his story will be told and retold again in history books. Felipe Oliveira Baptista, the current creative director at Kenzo wrote: “His amazing energy, kindness, talent and smile were contagious. His kindred spirit will live forever.”
Bella Niavarani
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