Hubert De Givenchy

Count Hubert Taffin de Givenchy, born February 20, 1927 in Beauvais (Oise), is a great couturier, creator of the French haute couture brand Givenchy. He started with various couturiers then gave his name to a fashion house in 1952, then a perfume house a few years later. Throughout his career, he will have Cristóbal Balenciaga as his mentor, who will support, finance and encourage him. With his brand, Hubert de Givenchy crosses the decades, but remains a major couturier of the 1950s. Born on February 20, 1927 into an aristocratic family, Hubert James Marcel Count Taffin de Givenchy was destined by his parents for a legal career and learned law in a notary's office. His family includes a fashion photographer and Jules Badin, administrator of the Gobelins and Beauvais tapestry factories and great collector, but his vocation was born out of the discovery of Balenciaga's work. His debut in fashion In 1945, at the age of seventeen, he left Beauvais to settle in Paris. He joined the National School of Fine Arts and worked for Jacques Fath. He continued his apprenticeship with Robert Piguet and Lucien Lelong (on the recommendations of Christian Dior). In 1947, he became Elsa Schiaparelli's first assistant before being appointed artistic director of the dressmaker's shop in Place Vendôme. He created his own haute couture house in 1952, first on rue Alfred-de-Vigny then at 3, avenue George-V. On February 2, 1952, Hubert de Givenchy presented his very first Haute Couture collection with Bettina Graziani at the head of public relations. Bettina opens the show with what will become the “Bettina Blouse”. In 1953 in New York, Hubert de Givenchy met his idol: Cristóbal Balenciaga, a fashion designer living in Paris who was then triumphing all over the world with his haute couture collections. He would later say: “Balenciaga was my religion. Since I am a believer, for me there is Balenciaga and the Lord. Audrey Hepburn was his muse and embodied the brand in 1953 when he designed his costumes for the film Sabrina. Their collaboration continued on the films Funny Face, Ariadne, Diamonds on the Sofa, Charade, Deux Têtes folles and How to Steal a Million Dollars. They remained bound by a very great friendship until Audrey's death in 1993. Among her most loyal clients, it is also possible to cite Jacqueline Kennedy, Empress Farah Pahlavi, Marella Agnelli, Princess Grace of Monaco, Aimée de Heeren, the Duchess of Windsor, singer Frederica von Stade, actresses Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo, Lauren Bacall, Jeanne Moreau, and Ingrid Bergman. In 1954, Hubert de Givenchy created the shirt dress which would evolve into a bag dress three years later. He was one of the first great couturiers to offer a luxury ready-to-wear line, “Givenchy University”, made in Paris on machines imported from the United States5. Very inspired by Balenciaga, his work presents aspects of a classical tradition. In a duo with his older brother Jean-Claude, Marquis de Givenchy, he created the perfume brand of the same name Parfums Givenchy. In 1958, Audrey Hepburn lends her face to Hubert de Givenchy's first fragrance, L'Interdit, which is dedicated to her. This is the first time that a star has lent her face to a perfume campaign and undoubtedly the last that will do so gracefully, only out of friendship. The latter was very successful and was sold in the 1980s to the future luxury group LVMH. In 1958, Hubert de Givenchy launched the “Baby Doll” line as well as the “Ballon coats”. In 1969, he launched the first men's ready-to-wear line called “Givenchy Gentleman”. He left the house in 1995. At the same time, eclectic, Givenchy designed two Valentine's Day stamps for La Poste, issued in January 2007 and held managerial positions within the Christie's company. Hubert de Givenchy is related to the founder of the Anzin mines and to the French-speaking theologian Jean Taffin the elder.