Pitti Immagine Uomo 96 Highlight

Asian Street Style meets Tailoring at Givenchy

The men’s season kicks off with a diverse Pitti celebrating 30 years and the debut of LVMH in Florence with Givenchy Men’s

Givenchy Men’s  S/S 2020

Clare Waight Keller has found a home at Givenchy with her strong feminine point of view and women’s collections, which have made her the go-to designer for active women who want to look desirable. It didn’t hurt that she designed a British royal wedding dress for Meghan as a complete surprise. On top, she works with Steven Meisel on her ad campaigns and has opted for a nightlife and party image. She has defined the new it model specimen with short-haired German speakers Veronika Kunz and Karolin Wolter and has ushered in an era of soft Haute Couture plus men’s HC for the house. Her idea of men’s wear has not been totally clear, no surprise as she has never really done it before. So she came to Florence bringing along her atelier and full Paris communications team to put on a big show at Pitti. Maybe it was the biggest production Pitti has ever seen in terms of staging, attention to detail and sheer size. 

A highlight at Pitti Uomo S/S 2020: the Givenchy Men

What she was looking at?

This collection was shown at the world’s biggest men’s trade fair which means one thing: Business. So no surprise Waight Keller made no secret about her inspiration. Korean street style with its exaggerated volumes was her starting point and her casting included lots of Asian models all clad in scuba sneakers and streamlined tailoring making a clear nod as to which market this collection caters to: Greater Asia.

What about coats?

This Givenchy man is still wearing sportswear parkas but Waight Keller has found a nice comfort zone in making razor sharp, knee-length coats her signature for men. The opening look featured a cool Asian dude with no shirt, single-breasted suit and great coat worn to hold it all together.

Many looks included long shirts and plain pants.

Her line?

It looks like the double-breasted jacket is fading out of fashion when a major house like Givenchy only shows sharp one-button and other single-breasted jackets.

What didn’t work?

There were many looks of plain pants with long shirts which did nothing for the collection.

There were many nicely tailored single breasted coats and jackets.

The staging?

Using the magnificent Villa Palmieri and its gardens on slopes below the Piazza S. Domenico made for a spectacular setting. White light balloons were floating the property showing off the big muscle LVMH has when it comes to immaculate fashion productions. Followed by a dance party with delicious food and spectacular light installations, this was a show Florence will not forget quickly. 

The location of the Givenchy men’s show at Pitti Uomo.

The surprise?

Givenchy’s collaboration with Onitsuka Tiger, part of the Asics sneaker group and another clear nod to Asia. The yellow version of this sneaker was made famous by Uma Thurman in the movie “Kill Bill”, just the kind of heroine Waight Keller digs.

Givenchy’s newest collaboration: a sneaker with Onitsuka Tiger.