How Matthew M. Williams Made Givenchy Heavy Metal

The day has finally arrived. Matthew M. Williams is giving the world a glimpes of his revamped Givenchy. The French house has released a teaser capsule of the designer’s debut collection, after announcing his appointment as Creative Director last June. Williams was unable to debut a runway collection for Givenchy during the Fall/Winter season, but despite this setback, the house released a sneak peek in September of what the co-founder of 1017 ALYX 9SM had in mind: his first advertising campaign, a new logo, hardware, and lock designs. Yesterday, Givenchy released a teaser capsule of the anticipated Spring/Sumer 2021 collection, which fans can purchase now. First shown in October, this drop features select ready to wear pieces, a new take on a classic handbag, and jewelry from the designer’s debut collection. Below, we break down the key components of the hardware-heavy and devilish world of Matthew M Williams’s Givenchy. 

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 Links, Chains, and More Chains

Williams loves hardware. He’s adorned the new collection, from head to toe, with his now-signature hardware-as-accessories style. He will be releasing a series of printed t-shirts with 3D chain-embossed details at the neck and trompe l’oeil renders of locks and eyelets clenched over “Givenchy” lettering. Williams’s take on the Givenchy sweatshirt and t-shirt also include links and necklaces pierced into the garments. 

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Antigona Remixed, Featuring Matthew M. Willams (and More Chains)

Givenchy’s classic handbag, the Antigona, receives the Williams treatment. The result is a new rendition of the timeless bag–upgraded with longer handles, a dual logo, two cross bodies, and a unisex interpretation: a mini with chain handles (shown below). Welcome to the future Anitgona.

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(Re)Imagined Jeans. We Love Them.

Classic jeans are reimagined by Williams with tactile surprises. He introduces a new denim vocabulary to the brand with new takes on textures, shine, and feels. This drop is offering two takes on denim: a crackled denim and luster denim. Crackled denim is a painting technique applied to the final garment: the jeans are layered with multiple layers of paint and baked in between each layer to produce a crackled effect. The luster denim is created by applying a layer of polyurethane to the jeans then baked for a luster effect. In the world of Givenchy according to Williams, the workwear staple is chic, shiny, and luxe—it is Givenchy after all.