Riccardo Tisci
Riccardo Tisci (born in 1974 in Taranto, Italy)[1] is an Italian fashion designer. He graduated from London's Central Saint Martins Academy in 1999, and in 2005 was named Creative Director for Givenchy womenswear and haute couture. In May 2008 he was also named as menswear and accessories designer of the Givenchy men's division.
Tisci's apparent fascination with Gothic touches (dark, languid dresses for fall couture) and space-age minimalism (one ready-to-wear show featured white-clad models drifting around a sterile-white sphere) have drawn new attention to the Givenchy brand. Reviews and output so far have been mixed and inconsistent, but many, including influential fashion critics (such as Cathy Horyn of the New York Times and Suzy Menkes of the International Herald Tribune) have homed in on Tisci's conceptual leanings, as well as his future potential for revitalizing the Givenchy brand and infusing it with his precision and imagination.
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[edit] Biography
Tisci was born in Taranto, Italy. The city of Taranto is said[by whom?] to be mythologically tied with mermaids and marines, which often influences Tisci in his collections for both Givenchy ready-to-wear and haute couture.
After graduating from London's Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in 1999, Tisci worked for a succession of companies such as Puma and Coccapani before signing a three-year contract with Ruffo Research, which launched the careers of a plethora of fashion designers, such as Sophia Kokosalaki.[2]
Once his contract had expired in July 2004, Tisci began to work on his own collection, which he exhibited for Milan Fall 2005/2006 Fashion week. Shortly after, he was appointed by Givenchy as the creative director and made the following statement "I am delighted to join Givenchy and very proud to be able to bring my vision to this prestigious French haute couture house, whose history inspires me."[2]
Givenchy explained his fall-winter 2010-2011 menswear collection as being influenced by his deep Catholic roots:[3]
"Religion is a big part of my DNA and this collection was about my Catholic(ism) and every other religion in a way."
[edit] Givenchy
On February 28, 2005, Riccardo Tisci was officially appointed as the creative director of the Haute Couture, ready-to-wear and accessories lines for Givenchy,[4] a job he almost turned down. Tisci's original plan was to focus on his own fashion line, however upon finding out that his mother was about to sell her house to help his sisters, he decided to accept Givenchy's offer. "[...] my mother called me and said to me, ‘I am going to tell you something I haven’t even told your sisters: I think I am going to sell our house because your sisters are struggling, they’re having children, they need the money. I will go to a retirement home.’ When I heard that it was like a knife in my heart. I felt like such a failure, that my mother had to sell the house of my father whom I don’t remember. And then I went to Paris, and they showed me a contract with all these zeros on it, and it was like help from God. I thought ‘If I sign this, my mother will never have to worry again.’ So I signed it.”[5] Givenchy boss Marco Gobbetti, spoke of Tisci's appointment as being a "perfect fit for us". Gobbetti adds, "He [Tisci] has an elegance that is very modern, very contemporary and romantic at the same time".
Unlike the various designers before him who succeeded Mr. Givenchy himself, Tisci has encountered great success, both critically and financially. Especially in the realm of Haute Couture, where Tisci asserts "When I arrived we had five customers. Now we have 29."[6] Riccardo Tisci's runway presentations are highly stylized in terms of architecture and space. Tisci says of this; " My way of showing is very melancholic... I love romanticism and sensuality ".[6]
Tisci, under Givenchy, designed the costumes for Madonna's Sticky & Sweet Tour in 2008, following Jean Paul Gaultier and Dolce & Gabbana. In 2009, for the encore of the tour he designed another costume for the tours opening song Candy Shop. He also delivered customized clothing for Madonna when she's not on stage.
For the Givenchy Fall-Winter 2010 collection[7] he has included a new model, a Brazilian transsexual named Lea T. This is someone he worked with for years, T, whose former name was Leo, was his longtime personal assistant.
In 2011, he has been widely considered to be John Galliano's most likely successor as head designer of Christian Dior.[8] However, according to Dior's CEO, Sidney Toledano, a replacement will not be officially named until fall.[9]
[edit] Projects
In 2008, Riccardo Tisci was invited to curate the issue 8 of A Magazine curated by. In 2011, Tisci guest-edited Visionaire's RELIGION issue. He also designed the cover for Watch The Throne by Jay-Z and Kanye West.
[edit] Collaborations
Italian Model Mariacarla Boscono often appears in his runway shows and ad campaigns, owing possibly to the fact that Tisci has had a friendship with her since before his days at Givenchy. Tisci also collaborated with American rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West to create the single covers for H•A•M and Otis, as well as the album cover for Watch the Throne.
[edit] References
- ^ "Givenchy Fashion Shows: Designer Directory on". Style.com. http://www.style.com/fashionshows/designerdirectory/GIVENCHY/about/. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
- ^ a b www.vogue.co.uk/vogue_daily/story/story.asp?stid=23965
- ^ http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9DD00P80.htm
- ^ http://wwww.givenchy.com
- ^ "Riccardo Tisci nearly turned down his job at Givenchy". My Fashion Life. 2011-04-26. http://www.myfashionlife.com/archives/2011/03/22/riccardo-tisci-nearly-turned-down-his-job-at-givenchy/. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
- ^ a b http://runway.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/02/28/the-q-a-riccardo-tisci/ New York Times
- ^ May 7, 2010 (2010-05-07). "Tisci's Trans Europe Express... Fashionair Paused". Wwd.com. http://www.wwd.com/media-news/fashion-memopad/tiscis-trans-europe-express-fashionair-paused-3063927?module=memopad#/article/media-news/fashion-memopad/tiscis-trans-europe-express-fashionair-paused-3063927?page=1. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
- ^ Maysa Rawi (2011-09-03). "Riccardo Tisci leaves Givenchy to replace John Galliano as new Dior designer | Mail Online". London: Dailymail.co.uk. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1364543/Riccardo-Tisci-leaves-Givenchy-replace-John-Galliano-new-Dior-designer.html. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
- ^ Wendlandt, Astrid (2011-03-31). "Dior taking its time to replace Galliano". Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/31/us-lvmh-idUSTRE72U3QM20110331?feedType=RSS&feedName=lifestyleMolt. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
