Paris Men’s Fashion Week 2023 Spring/Summer season has come to a successful close, with many brands making profound statements. Among them, Givenchy led by Matthew M. Williams presented a menswear show after a long absence from the menswear stage. This presentation marks a new chapter for MMW since taking over as creative director, as it is the first physical menswear show held independently under his leadership. My personal biggest takeaway from this presentation is: MMW waited a long time to showcase the menswear collection in order to refine and showcase the unique design language of Givenchy under Matthew M. Williams to the world.
The fashion show held at the Paris Military School in the 7th arrondissement of Paris has become the stage where the brand and MMW reveal the spark between modern menswear and brand craftsmanship.
Creative Director MMW selects typical men’s wear and accessories for spring/summer 2023, using exquisite Givenchy craftsmanship to explore various techniques and possibilities in craftsmanship, creating a more eye-catching effect rarely seen in the Avengue George V workshop. Drawing on years of design and creative experience, MMW examines every basic element and detail, aiming to create more practical yet surprising possibilities, including fabrics, tailoring, construction, design, as well as styling combinations, atmosphere, and meaning, allowing the spring/summer 2023 season to embody both Givenchy’s evolution and the vision of Matthew M. Williams.
This season, MMW draws inspiration from male artists, musicians, and designers he met in his life and at Givenchy, including Dancehall and Reggae musician Alkaline, young British creator Myles Henrik Hall, etc., reflecting the current generation’s understanding of traditional clothing styles in a casual and free-spirited way. For example, oversized suit jackets and coats with a more relaxed proportion, ripped knees on trousers to reveal the brand’s lining, leather military jackets and shorts treated with a film to become stiff, leather baseball jackets with brand logo embroidery, etc., presenting the evolution of contemporary clothing styles in a unique new generation style.
Moving away from the glamorous men’s fashion impression of designers like Alexander McQueen and Clare Waight Keller, Givenchy has officially entered the postmodern era under the leadership of MMW, with young people wandering along the California coast and yearning for a life of leisure. As a leader of one of Paris’ most iconic luxury bespoke brands, Matthew M. Williams approaches deconstruction techniques from the perspective of luxury bespoke clothing, aiming to explore the styles of different social classes in his homeland of the United States through Givenchy’s elegant and exquisite aesthetics, showcasing the sentiments and culture of places like California and Melrose. As he shared after the show: “This is my observation of these communities, filtered through my personal lens.”
In the past, neat suits have turned into military-style short jackets, black denim pants, fluorescent sportswear, tattered vests, etc. In the spring and summer of 2023, when MMW meets these American youths, what he creates is embellishing digital print waterproof fabrics with camouflage patterns, or covering delicate laser-cut and hand-cut 4G logo Japanese jacquard denim; even hand-sewing, sanding, and washing to create the ideal camouflage pattern effect; reproducing the texture of the back of denim pants through printing technology.
In terms of accessories, it has become a training ground for MMW. Jewelry, the brand new logo is transformed into shiny gold and silver and black and white enamel links on necklaces and bracelets, pearl necklaces and earrings paired with dark wood, bright white enamel, mother-of-pearl, and inlaid crystals. The new season also brings expandable combs, chess games, dice set pendants, G-Lock clasps, and angular material pendants. The new G-Cut glasses are made with 3D printing, with angular G-shaped frames surrounding the lenses, offering options such as glossy black, matte gray, gradient colors, and natural wood. In terms of bags, they bring oversized handbags, backpacks, triangular bags, and Antigona shoulder bags, with materials and processing methods utilizing unique techniques such as laser cutting, hand-cutting, and embossing, with the Pixel Camo bags using waterproof fabrics.
This season, you can see that MMW himself is still very attentive to footwear. Before presenting the new season fashion show, he first shared the TK-MX sports shoe series created with mesh and synthetic leather uppers, with curved soles and spherical heels, showcased by various models in white, black, silver with yellow, silver with green, and black with yellow styles. It is worth noting that as an upgraded version of the TK-360 shoes, the TK-MX is equipped with multiple layers of armor details and a rubber-wrapped water pine wood sole, and continues to offer laceless styles.
In October 2020, about two months after Matthew M. Williams took office, he shared with Tim Blanks in an interview with “BoF”: “I don’t like to make predictions. I make clothes that I like and that inspire me. And I never stop thinking about all the challenges. You know, there is always a higher mountain beyond the mountain.” Two years into his tenure, despite facing major disruptions, MMW has not stopped learning and thinking with Givenchy and the team, but has not yet held an independent menswear show. Why is that? He has been preparing for this presentation all along, and as we enter the spring/summer of 2023, he tells everyone that he is ready, “I naturally understand fashion through menswear. The menswear collection I designed for Givenchy is based on instinct… This is an exciting interpretation, and it is the reason I chose to hold an independent menswear fashion show for Givenchy at this moment.”
