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Luxury

Meghan Markle’s royal wedding dress designer has left LVMH’s Givenchy – after stints at Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren and Chloe, what’s next for Clare Waight Keller?

STORYAgence France-Presse
Clare Waight Keller – who designed Meghan Markle’s wedding dress – has left fashion house Givenchy. Photo: handout
Clare Waight Keller – who designed Meghan Markle’s wedding dress – has left fashion house Givenchy. Photo: handout
Royalty

British fashion designer Clare Waight Keller made her name at Pringle of Scotland before joining Givenchy and later being commissioned to design Markle’s boatnecked, sculpted dress for the royal couple’s big day

British fashion designer Clare Waight Keller, who created Meghan Markle’s wedding dress for her marriage to Prince Harry, is stepping down from her role as artistic director of French fashion house Givenchy.

Waight Keller, 49, became Givenchy’s artistic director in 2017, the first woman to hold the role in the history of the fashion house, which is owned by French luxury giant LVMH.

“As the first woman to be the artistic director of this legendary maison, I feel honoured to have been given the opportunity to cherish its legacy and bring it new life,” she said in a statement released by Givenchy.

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Clare Waight Keller shows off her dress sketches for Meghan Markle’s dress, a day after the royal wedding in May in 2018. Photo: AFP pool
Clare Waight Keller shows off her dress sketches for Meghan Markle’s dress, a day after the royal wedding in May in 2018. Photo: AFP pool

“Focusing on a world based on haute couture has been one of the highlights of my professional journey,” she added.

Sidney Toledano, chairman and chief executive of LVMH Fashion Group, thanked Waight Keller for her contribution to “Givenchy’s latest chapter”.

“Under her creative leadership, and in great collaboration with its ateliers and teams, the maison reconnected with the founding values of Hubert de Givenchy and his innate sense of elegance,” Toledano said.

Givenchy said its new “creative organisation” will be communicated at a later date.

Waight Keller created the boatnecked, sculpted dress that Markle wore for her 2018 wedding to Prince Harry, featuring a 5-metre (16-foot) train embroidered with flowers from all 53 Commonwealth countries.

Givenchy’s spring/summer haute couture collection, unveiled in January 2020. Photo: AFP
Givenchy’s spring/summer haute couture collection, unveiled in January 2020. Photo: AFP

Waight Keller made her name by turning Pringle of Scotland from a rather staid knitwear maker into a fashion brand.

She has also worked for Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren and for Tom Ford at Gucci. She joined Givenchy after six years at the helm at Chloe.

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