Sophie Colombo, who worked closely with Givenchy’s Founder, Hubert de Givenchy before he passed in March 2018, is the brand’s heritage coordinator.
“Givenchy is a house that never stops” says Sophie, who has worked with the French couture house for six years. Sophie explained why the extensive, heritage project came about, “we really wanted to keep value to the heritage of Givenchy”.
The department was built, and the documents were collected and analysed. “Each log is cataloged with a description and all information you need about the piece”.
The documents vary from early sketches to vintage gowns. Careful steps are taken to preserve these pieces. “There are some clothes you can’t hang because the weight can destroy the piece” said Sophie.
The documents are put away, and everything is digitalised on a private database, similar to a Google search engine. Once a piece is selected, it is transferred into a folder with all other aspects of the look. This allows the couture house to have an extensive knowledge of any Givenchy collection.
Sophie let us in on a conversation she had with Hubert De Givenchy, she asked him, “what is the main inspiration for your collections?”, to which Hubert replied “the client, of course it’s the client”. Hubert was inspired by “how a client can move” said Sophie.
We then asked Sophie about what Givenchy is looking for in the next generation of designers. She replied, “be curious, don’t be a critic and always think about the client. The main thing is to understand the spirit of Givenchy. You need to understand the DNA of the brand but make it in the context of today”.
Written by Chloe Ford
Photography by Deborah Iona