Hubert de Givenchy

In 1952 Count Hubert James Marcel Taffin de Givenchy originated The House of Givenchy. He has designed many wardrobes for films and their stars. Givenchy was the main designer for Audrey Hepburn, Princess Grace of Monaco and Jacqueline Kennedy.
Born on February 21, 1927, Givenchy is a son of Lucien Taffin de Givenchy and was raised an aristocrat. Givenchy visited the 1937 World's Fair in Paris and decided he wanted to work in fashion design. He studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris and his first designs were done for Jacques Fath in 1945. He also designed for Lucien Lelong, Robert Piguet and worked with Christian Dior.
In 1952 Givenchy opened his own design house in Paris and titled his first collection Bettina in honor of Paris' top model. He used innovation and moved away from the conservative designs made famous by Dior. Givenchy was the youngest designer on the Paris fashion scene, and his collections were characterized by cheap fabrics with high design. Givenchy gained his inspiration from haute couture and avant-garde environments. He featured long skirts and tailored blouses plus elegant evening gowns and feminine hats and suits. Givenchy is synonymous with Parisian chic.
Givenchy retired from fashion in 1995 and sold his design house to Louis Vuitton in 1988. He designed for several more years and presented his final collection in 1995. Currently Givenchy is run by Riccardo Tisci.