For S/S 2022, the world’s fashion brands have showcased their first physical runway shows in 18 months – following the easing of pandemic-related restrictions – in a host of spectacular locations. In Paris alone, Hermès caused a stir by taking guests to the private airport of Le Bourget, where a plane touched down on the runway at the show's finale, while Balenciaga took over the grand Théâtre du Châtelet, complete with a red carpet and hoards of screaming fans.
Matthew M Williams also had something spectacular on his mind for his first physical show for Givenchy, after being appointed creative director of the Parisian Maison in June 2020. Last season, the brand presented a panoramic show film, which saw models stomping through water, illuminated by scores of headlights, in the Paris La Défense Arena, the largest indoor performance venue in Europe, on the outskirts of the French capital.
Arena transformed for Givenchy S/S 2022 show
For its S/S 2022 showcase, the brand is returning once again to the Paris La Défense Arena – a sculptural, domed space that was designed by the French architect Christian de Portzamparc and opened in 2017, and can hold up to 40,000 spectators. Here, Williams is set to bathe his guests in the glow of a cinematic sun, by suspending a monumental oculus from the ceiling of the vast space, which will bathe the venue in bright light.
The stark, serene light will transform the space into a brutalism-inspired arena, or an enormous pristine art gallery, setting a suitably compelling scene for Givenchy's S/S 2022 creations to make their entrance.
Another nod to the art-influenced notion behind the set design? Givenchy's S/S 2022 also unveils a collaboration with the American artist Josh Smith, whose emotive, large brushstroke-swathed paintings feature figurative elements, such as skeletons, fish and insects, to impressionistic effect.
INFORMATION
givenchy.com
-
‘I wanted to create a sanctuary’ – discover a nature-conscious take on Balinese architectureUmah Tsuki by Colvin Haven is an idyllic Balinese family home rooted in the island's crafts culture
-
‘Concrete Dreams’: rethinking Newcastle’s brutalist pastA new project and exhibition at the Farrell Centre in Newcastle revisits the radical urban ideas that changed Tyneside in the 1960s and 1970s
-
Mexican designers show their metal at Gallery Collectional, Dubai‘Unearthing’ at Dubai’s Gallery Collectional sees Ewe Studio designers Manu Bañó and Héctor Esrawe celebrate Mexican craftsmanship with contemporary forms
-
‘He immortalised the birth of the supermodel’: inside Dior’s career-spanning retrospective of photographer Peter LindberghOlivier Flaviano, curator and head of Paris’ La Galerie Dior, talks us through a new Peter Lindbergh retrospective, which celebrates the seminal German photographer’s longtime relationship with the French house
-
Inside ‘De toutes beautés!’, the Louvre’s new exhibition narrating 10,000 years of beauty ideals through art‘De toutes beautés!’ marks the beginning of a three-year partnership between the Louvre and L’Oréal Groupe. India Birgitta Jarvis reports on the show for Wallpaper*
-
‘A hat is an alibi, a fabulous lie’: radical milliner Stephen Jones on his career-spanning new Paris exhibitionAs ‘Stephen Jones, Chapeaux d’Artiste’ opens at Paris’ Palais Galliera, the British milliner tells Wallpaper* about the transformative power of hats, the one designer he wishes he’d collaborated with, and his lifelong love of Paris
-
Maude’s Brâncuși-inspired sex toys go on display in a new Paris exhibitionMaude’s design-led vibrators are now on display at Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, as part of ‘Private Lives: From the Bedroom to Social Media’. Brand founder Éva Goicochea talks to Wallpaper* about partnering with the museum and opening up cultural conversations around sex
-
Watch: Jamie Dornan takes a bath in Le Corbusier’s villa for Loewe PerfumesJamie Dornan stars alongside Sophie Wilde in the new Loewe Perfumes 2024 campaign, shot by David Sims in Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye
-
Jonathan Lyndon Chase on creating a ‘complicated and messy’ domestic space for Acne Studios’ latest showA musing on ‘emotions and the body, and how they affect the space around you’: American artist Jonathan Lyndon Chase tells Mahoro Seward the story behind their Acne Studios runway set, which will backdrop the brand’s S/S 2025 show in Paris later today
-
Paris Fashion Week S/S 2025 highlights: Chanel to Louis VuittonWallpaper* fashion features editor Jack Moss selects the best of Paris Fashion Week S/S 2025, from Chanel’s return to the Grand Palais to Nicolas Ghesquière’s ‘soft power’ at Louis Vuitton
-
Augustinus Bader’s Palais-Royal boutique has been transformed by artist Harry NurievAugustinus Bader unveils a pop-up space at its flagship store in Paris by multidisciplinary artist and designer Harry Nuriev
