MANIFESTO

#64

MUSE TWENTY FANZINE

GIVENCHY MEN SS23

2022.06.23

Matthew M. Williams debuts with the first show dedicated to men, a contemporary wardrobe, a combination of modern menswear and the Maison’s atelier creations.

Williams presents his first Givenchy collection entirely dedicated to menswear. Within the courtyard of the École Militaire, and under the austere and elegant profile of the Eiffel Tower, a combination of modern and sophisticated elements parade. Parisian craftsmanship and the dress codes of history mingle with the futurism of the background installation, a surreal imagery, a mirror of snow-white water bordering a white, ancestral-looking cube emerging from immaculate steam fumes. The setting is suggestive and visionary, enveloping the representational archetypes of a personal and authentic wardrobe. Subcultural tropes intersect in an expression of total fluidity and freedom of communal clothing inspired by men. Indeed, it is the artists, musicians and designers orbiting Williams who have inspired him in this creative process, especially the performer Alkaline, whose radical style marks and influences the show. The study on deconstruction is the result of a long research that starts from the designer’s origins, an America marked by different cultures, (a mixture of street style and social uniforms) re-proposed for the occasion and in a modern key, through the refined elegance of the Maison. 

“This fashion show is a reflection of myself and the people around me, from my closest friends to the artists who inspire my work. It’s a dialogue with time and culture that shapes the way men dress today, and tomorrow the way new generations embrace and evolve archetypes…”

– Matthew M. Williams

Among the garments presented are technical and waterproof fabrics, with camouflage motifs on jackets and waistcoats, digital prints on cargo trousers, jacquard Japanese jeans with logos covered by laser-cut muslin, and fluorescent colours on military jackets and parkas. Scraps of undyed and recycled leather are laminated to obtain a rigid structure, and used in patchwork for cargo shorts or shell jackets. The sartorial aspect is conveyed through blazers and coats in dark colours, black and grey, with wide cuts and relaxed volumes, combined with soft trousers ripped at the knee. The accessories are a mix of craftsmanship and research, new proposals include glasses with angular G-shaped temples, chains with the new logo on necklaces and bracelets; button earrings in dark wood, shiny enamel and mother-of-pearl; mini-earrings and important G-lock pendants. The rain boot returns in a new version, in vulcanised rubber and with a cork sole, alternating with trainers with a curved sole and rounded heel with mesh and synthetic leather uppers. The craftsmanship stands out in oversized shoppers, backpacks, triangle bags and shoulder bags, made using the same technique as the characteristic laminated patchwork and in undyed tones. The designer’s desire to show a first défilé entirely dedicated to men is a return to the origins of his passion for fashion, menswear being what brought him closer to this world. Study and research were fundamental to the development and achievement of his goal, based, as he himself says, on ‘an instinctive starting point’. A true dialogue with time and modern culture, an exciting evolution of passionate work. 

“It’s an exciting development and that’s why I chose this moment to stage a stand-alone men’s show for Givenchy.”

– Matthew M. Williams

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN IN LOVE?

2024.10.28

Trance Therapy, the new Versace Jeans Couture campaign, plunges into an imaginary, fairy-tale and surreal world to portray the unique and authentic sensation of falling in love. Characters find themselves catapulted into a vortex of emotions that catalyse their deepest bonds. 

GALERIE DIOR

THROUGH THE LINDBERGH LENS

2024.10.22

Galerie Dior in Paris presents an unprecedented look at deep affinities, the codes of the Maison and the attentive lens of photographer Peter Lindbergh.

CHANEL CRUISE 2025/26

REINTERPRETATION OF CODES

2024.10.18

Chanel arrives in Italy for its next Cruise 2025/26 to be presented at Lake Como.

FW24

Creative freedom

2024.02.28

A collection that rethinks the concept of fashion as a manifestation of power and full representation of creativity, investigating the historical legacy and future of femininity. The looks in Dior’s FW24 collection convey the radiant power of a pluralistic, autonomous and versatile femininity, reactivating that key moment of creative freedom of which Miss Dior is the emblem.

COLLECTION

SPIRIT

2024.02.25

The Fall Winter 2024 collection by Maximilian Davis is an interpretation of the 1920s through a modern lens, particularly inspiring as it offers a new perspective on the elegance and rebellion of that era.