Givenchy’s Spring 2023 campaign continues to explore the tensions and contrasts between the House's iconic tailoring heritage and the urban ease creative director Matthew M. Williams has established as part of the brand's aesthetic.

Top models Gigi Hadid, Selena Forrest and rising model Luna Passos are lensed by Heji Shin [IG]. The legendary Carine Roitfeld styles the campaign./ Hair by Shiori Takahashi; makeup by Stephane Marais

Shin shot Eve Jobs for Vogue Japan October 2022 and Givenchy’s Spring 2022 Campaign with artist Josh Smith.

In October, the New York Times explored the evolution [or confusion] around Williams’ vision for Givenchy.

Reminding readers that Givenchy has no core house identity, the sequence of designers at Givenchy has further created murky waters.

Close your eyes and consider the visual transition from Riccardo Tisci’s Givenchy to Clare Waight Keller’s [Meghan Markle wedding] to Williams’ Spring 2022 Josh Smith collab Givenchy collection — which felt Missioni, although AOC liked it — to this new Spring 2023 smart elegance with edge.

Is your brain fully annoyed with you at this point? Mine hurts.

The Times article on Williams offers major support from influential creatives like Kim Jones and Nick Knight.

Add the fact that identity confusion in a brand owned by LVMH — the most successful luxury brand merchandising and profit conglomerate in the world — can’t rest solely on the shoulders of the creative director.

Except that it does.

Reviews for this new Givenchy Spring 2023 campaign have been very positive. It would seem that holding the line and trying to make this vision of Givenchy work has merit.

Fairly or not, three-year contracts don’t give endless time for finding a core brand vision — especially among designers who aren’t interested in a brand’s archives. And COVID can’t offer an automatic extension, when Williams cites the additional havoc caused by it as a excuse for not quite knowing what to do with Givenchy.

Explain that ‘archives are basically irrelevant’ attitude to Dior’s Maria Grazia Chiuri. Or Tom Ford’s days at Gucci and Phoebe Philo’s at Celine.

Returning to the talented American Mr. Williams, does a former Kanye West acolyte, have a vision capable of translating Givenchy in modern terms — especially when none of us knows anymore, what Givenchy is about?

From all I’ve read about him, Williams can’t possibly share West’s ‘I’ve never read a book, because I don’t need to’ attitude.

As The Atlantic explained this week: “Identifying as someone who categorically rejects books suggests a much larger deficiency of character.” AOC says “Amen”.

We’ll see the followup to these images in the March Fall 2023 collection. Hopefully the vibe continues.

With regard to Mr. Williams’ reverence for Mr. West, keeping him as far away as possible is a top priority. The man is looking for a re-entry door into fashionworld, with his new ‘wifey’.

To date, there are no legal documents supporting this marriage, which is not a comment about the couple’s probable deep love for each other.

No brainstorming with Ye about Givenchy serves an ounce of business purpose. We don’t care what Ye thinks Givenchy should be, and neither should Mr. Williams.

Put that advice on a post-it note on the fancy French mirrors in the Givenchy office bathrooms. And one at home for Givenchy creative director Matthew M. Williams. ~ Anne