Review of Givenchy Spring 2024 Men’s Fashion Show
Middle Ground
By Mark Wittmer
Spring 2024 sees Givenchy and creative director Matthew M. Williams, who was appointed on the commercial success of his own tech-streetwear label 1017 Alyx 9SM, still not quite on the same page. While the collection has strong moments both of Givenchy’s sophisticated tailoring and Williams’ techno-grunge, it’s a mixed bag everywhere in between.
Givenchy and Williams still feel a bit out of sync; the designer’s dedication to technical streetwear hasn’t really come together with the house’s legacy of French luxury sophistication.
The tailoring is there, but it feels a bit subdued and directionless. The first six looks feature simple boxy suits that pretty much could have come from anywhere. From here, Williams begins to drop tailored jackets in favor of technical outerwear pieces like North Face-esque coats and silk track jackets, some of which feature craft details like embroidery or leather panels. The layering is perhaps a bit jarring; these jackets feel thrown-on, but that could be said to be what makes the looks interesting, they tell the kind of dressing story we might see in real life.
Things get eclectic as more sportswear references are thrown in and the looks oscillate between minimal and maximal. A few looks seem to take inspiration from the designer’s visionary contemporaries; a shirt full of metal eyelet holes reminds us a bit of Stefan Cooke or JW Anderson, while technical hip harnesses are a bit Craig Green. There’s some cute knitwear followed by an inexplicable plain oversized T-shirt, then a minimalist sleeveless jumpsuit.
There are certainly some interesting moments, and it’s exciting to see Williams continue to try new things in his role at the house, but the collection as a whole feels a bit uncohesive and random, and there aren’t really any looks that you could look at and say “that’s Givenchy” or “that’s Matthew M. Williams.” Last season’s collections the most convincing synthesis of the two aesthetics yet, and we were excited to see them carry it forward, but this collection has lost the momentum.
The designer has toned down his technical, grungy, streetwear edge and met Givenchy in the middle, but in doing so both parties have lost their identity and direction.
