Paris Fashion Week 2022: Givenchy’s Matthew Williams, who has collaborated with Kanye West and Lady Gaga, went street – but does it go against the brand’s signature aesthetic?

Mar 10 , 2022

A model presents a creation by designer Matthew M. Williams as part of his autumn/winter 2022/2023 women’s ready-to-wear collection show for fashion house Givenchy during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, on March 6. Photo: Reuters

Designer Matthew Williams has previously worked with celebrities like Kanye West and Lady Gaga, and has now brought streetwear to Givenchy’s autumn/winter runway

The dropped hem ruffle dress fared well, while logo prints and visual imbalances seemed to go against the house’s age-old aesthetic

Matthew Williams, the erstwhile collaborator of Kanye West and Lady Gaga, pushed Givenchy even further in a street direction for autumn – banishing any doubts over whether he would bring his streetwear aesthetic to the age-old couture house.

The colour black was a predominant hue in Matthew Williams’ Givenchy autumn/winter 2022-2023 collection fashion show during the Paris Womenswear Fashion Week, in Nanterre, on the outskirts of Paris, on March 6. Photo: AFP

With black a big theme, one tight black cap gleamed above a black hoodie printed with “Givenchy” in different busy fonts for the Sunday, March 6, night show.

The Givenchy autumn/winter 2022-2023 collection fashion show took place on a futuristic stage on March 6, during the Paris Womenswear Fashion Week, in Nanterre, on the outskirts of Paris. Photo: AFP

Matthew Williams used the Givenchy logo in different fonts on garments at the Givenchy autumn/winter 2022-2023 collection fashion show during the Paris Womenswear Fashion Week, in Nanterre, on the outskirts of Paris, on March 6. Photo: AFP

A truncated beige T-shirt, meanwhile, came above a printed top and sheeny cargo pants, and a black shirt opened up to reveal even more “Givenchy” logo prints lurking underneath. And therein lay the problem: Williams seemed to be trying to do too much to impress at the detriment of the silhouette, creating visual imbalances in the process.

A model wears a head-turning embellished ensemble as part of the Givenchy Ready To Wear autumn/winter 2022-2023 fashion collection, unveiled during the Fashion Week in Paris, on March 6. Photo: AP

A model dons all black, a popular colour choice at the Givenchy autumn/winter 2022-2023 collection fashion show during the Paris Womenswear Fashion Week, in Nanterre, on the outskirts of Paris, on March 6. Photo: AFP

A model wears a ruffled skirt at the Givenchy autumn/winter 2022-2023 collection fashion show during the Paris Womenswear Fashion Week, in Nanterre, on the outskirts of Paris, on March 6. Photo: AFP

There were some beautiful single looks. The series of dropped hem ruffle dresses fared well, especially in one indigo that stayed simple, oozing class.

Yet, sometimes it just felt like Williams’ and the house’s aesthetic were at odds with one another.

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