Riccardo Tisci Leaves Givenchy

By Zoe Walker
Viva
Riccardo Tisci with Rihanna at a Givenchy show in 2014. Picture / Getty

Fashion’s game of musical chairs continues, with today’s news that Riccardo Tisci has left his role as creative director of Givenchy.

The designer has been at the helm of the French fashion house for 12 years, and is credited with transforming it into the powerhouse that it is today - and moving it forward from founder Hubert de Givenchy's famous connection with Audrey Hepburn.

Riccardo's aesthetic has helped shape fashion today, with its Gothic sensibility, romantic embellishments and luxury streetwear elements.

His snarling Rottweiler T-shirts from 2012 have become a Givenchy signature and cult item.

Beloved by the likes of Beyonce, Madonna, Rihanna and Cate Blanchett, Riccardo became known for embracing and dressing a diverse range of powerful women.

He was one of the first designers to cast a transgender model, Lea T, in a fashion show, and he has dressed everyone from 70-year-old artist Marina Abramovic to Kim Kardashian-West. (The reality star chose Riccardo to design her dress for her marriage to Kanye West in 2014)

He also recently dressed Meryl Streep for the Golden Globes, where she accepted her lifetime achievement award with a blistering speech criticising President Trump.

The news of his exit was confirmed by WWD, which had earlier reported on rumours that Riccardo was being courted by Versace. He is a long-time friend of Donatella Versace, even casting her in a 2015 Givenchy campaign - a rare move in a competitive industry.

The Italian-born designer's last collection for Givenchy was shown in Paris on January 20, but WWD reported that it is likely Riccardo's work will appear on the red carpet at the Grammys and Oscars later this month.

Riccardo's exit is the latest in the list of designer changes at high-profile brands. Earlier this week, Chloe announced that designer Clare Waight Keller was leaving, and in January, Francesca Amfitheatrof left Tiffany & Co.

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