Givenchy's first female artistic director, Clare Wright Keller decodes her first proper campaign

Female domination is slowly taking up space in the back-end and creative functioning of the fashion industry and it is only so great to see the gender bridges collapsing. Clare Waight Keller, Givenchy’s first artistic director has launched the fashion powerhouse’s latest campaign and is surely crafting a statement of her own.

Clare’s first collection in October 2017, five months after taking up the post generated a lot of curiosity and excitement. The mixed-gender show, held in the larger-than-life halls of Paris’ Palais de Justice sent across a wave of inquisitiveness offering more questions than answers.

Her first full-fledged campaign is all about mirrors. Some shattered in pieces and some atop of exquisite tables, where in both men and women are presented in mirror-image pairs. The designer while talking about her campaign explained, “There’s this sense of a different reflection of the couple… and for me the mirrors then become something that is destroyed and crushed and break that image of the past in a way, bringing something that’s more reflective.”

The entire campaign was shot by the famous photographer Steven Meisel in a private mansion in the city of New York which as Ms. Keller described is, “a place you find on Airbnb” for a “slightly destructive weekend.” The artisitic director of Givency however didnt lose track as the products were still the hero of this vast creative canvas. The accessories are coloured in the otherwise black and white portraits where the models don pieces from Givenchy’s ready-to-wear line. “I wanted to convey and attitude in the image of the boot,” she explained. “The fact that you’re powerful in them… They are really a cool easy boot that you can fuss around in. And the idea of the jewellery being very strong — being personal and defining — was something that I really wanted to focus on.”

LVMH, owner of Givenchy are extremely keen on pushing the accessories as well and aim to boost sales post the hiring of Clare Waight Keller. The designer however, has a less strategic approach. She states, “The first outing, for me, I really felt that it was an exploration of my first thoughts coming into the brand,” says the designer. “Things became commercial out of it, but I certainly didn’t intend it from the beginning. But it’s definitely something that has informed my work in the past. That’s part of being a designer — the balance of everything.”

Women are already on their way to global domination in the glamour industry. Maria Grazia Chiuri, the first female artistic director of Dior has being creating a lot of waves in the World of fashion and is on a defined mission about women empowerment. Dior’s latest collection sure does reflect the same thoughts and is proof. Who can forget the famous “We should all be feminist” t-shirt which was showcased in her S/S’17 campaign and alarmed around the Globe over the need for equality.

Girl power all the way!