20 February marks the birthday of Hubert de Givenchy. Today, when one of the founding fathers of French fashion would have turned 99, we are tracing the line from his early days to the maison’s current chapter — and where it might be heading next.

It almost feels like Givenchy was destined for fashion. His mother’s family owned the Beauvais tapestry factory, so talk of fabrics and craftsmanship was part of daily life, while structure and decoration were there long before Hubert ever cut a pattern.

The turning point came when he was ten. At the Paris Fair, he encountered designs by Coco Chanel, Elsa Schiaparelli and Jeanne Lanvin — and something clicked. He later moved to Paris to study art and design, and by 17 was apprenticing with some of the most influencial couturiers of the time: Robert Piguet, Jacques Fath, Lucien Lelong and Schiaparelli herself. It was a proper, hands-on education in couture.

In 1952, he opened his own atelier with a surprisingly modern idea. Europe was still recovering from the war and textiles were costly, so Givenchy worked smartly: he used more affordable fabrics and launched chic separates that could be mixed and matched. Women loved that flexibility.

Givenchy also understood visibility before it had a name, and was dressing high-profile women for both their daily lives and the screen. His collaboration with Audrey Hepburn — including the legendary black dress in Breakfast at Tiffany's — helped cement the house internationally. Add to that his early focus on the American market, and Givenchy quickly moved from promising Parisian atelier to global name.

In 1988, Hubert sold the house to LVMH, though he remained at the creative helm until 1995. His retirement marked the end of one era — and the start of a rather restless one.

In 2001, Julien Macdonald shifted the tone towards Hollywood glamour. The red-carpet appeal drew attention, but critics felt the balance tipped too far towards shine over substance.

A more commercially defining chapter began in 2005 with Riccardo Tisci. He fused couture discipline with streetwear codes — Rottweiler prints, graphic hoodies, darker silhouettes — and connected the brand to a younger audience. It worked: Givenchy felt culturally present again, even if the aesthetic divided purists.

In 2017, Clare Waight Keller became the first woman to lead the house. Her approach softened the mood, bringing back restraint and clean lines that nodded to the founder’s spirit. Critically respected, her vision was elegant and modern — though in a market still powered by streetwear momentum, subtlety proved harder to scale.

Then came 2020 and Matthew M. Williams. With his industrial hardware, sharp tailoring and utilitarian edge, Williams aimed to bridge high fashion and global youth culture. The response was mixed: some appreciated the modern energy, others felt the house risked blending too closely with his own label, 1017 ALYX 9SM.

In recent years, Givenchy has felt slightly out of the spotlight. While neighbouring luxury houses have leaned into viral campaigns and social-media spectacle, Givenchy has been noticeably more restrained. No headline-grabbing stunts, no obvious scramble for hype. But that feels intentional.

In 2024, Sarah Burton stepped in as creative director — and the tone shifted again. Rather than rewriting the house through shock, she returned to fundamentals.

Burton challenges the standard idea of power dressing, and instead of defaulting to rigid suits and masculine codes, she explores female iconography through strength, vulnerability, and sensuality. And it all becomes part of the narrative, expressing power through confidence, not volume and noise.

So, where is Givenchy heading? It feels like the goal is not viral dominance, but rather something quieter. The house appears to be investing in clarity, craft and a nuanced vision of modern femininity. Perhaps, in the long run, this might be Givenchy’s strongest move yet.