Diversity, Beauty, and a Love of Music; Riccardo Tisci on the role of models, and talent in his eyes.
A designer’s influence extends beyond the clothes he sends down the runway, with the casting of the models who showcase the collection being one of the most effective strategies of creating and conveying the image of the brand. The recently departed creative director of Givenchy, Riccardo Tisci, notably launched the careers of household names like, Joan Smalls, Lara Stone, and Natasha Poly. Deeply involved in the casting process, Tisci filled his catwalk with faces who have more to offer than attractiveness alone, with his modern approach to the idea of a runway line-up.
Before Tisci left his twelve-year tenure at Givenchy, he exclusively spoke to us about the casting decisions he made, and how they shaped the image of the fashion house.
How have you built such a strong identity for Givenchy?
What we have tried to do here at Givenchy over the years is build a strong identity. Elements that would make you recognise Givenchy between thousands of other brands. It’s been a tricky operation of always mixing DNA codes of the house and elements from my world. The metallic elements, the black obsession, the street silhouettes, the ever presence of lace. Those are signs of where our two worlds meet, the original Givenchy and the new. The street and the Couture. We live in this tension here at Givenchy. Between something that is very elevated and aristocratic and something that is very urban and democratic, trying to make that our strength in everything we do.
How do you mix couture with street style?
Givenchy is very successful because it’s easy to wear. The power of Givenchy is that you can dress young, urban, and mature women at the same time, and this is the same for men’s. Also, the street edge was important to us at Givenchy, simply because it was a big part of who I am as a person, it’s part of my own DNA, and what I have given to Givenchy is that paradox, that lasting tension between Haute Couture and Street style. We have built our identity with that contrast in mind as a starting point, so we take it to a merchandising level. We make sure every season that there is luxury clothes but also pieces that are more affordable and real. I want people to have access to Givenchy, to be a part of the Givenchy world. That is the power of Givenchy today. It’s almost like a tribe.
As a designer, what do you feel the role of a model is?
For me, models mean a lot because they’re not just presenting my collection; they’re really giving it life. I’m deeply bound to that idea. I’ve always been doing casting and I’m constantly looking for new models. It is not that I want to find a girl or boy, then have them become the model of the season and drop them. I’m building relationships which last for years and years. I have my family and gang, which we carry on season after season.
You’ve street cast entire shows before. What are the challenges and benefits of working with non-models?
I don’t like men and women looking like robots, and this is why I’m doing the casting by myself. I wanted to make a real casting, and I don’t like to exclude people. For that, I keep my eyes open to anyone I see who could fit the Givenchy universe. Of course, it is harder to work with real life persons who lack the model experience, but it always makes it so much more magical, because it is anchored in reality. The models at Givenchy relate to the people watching them, they are representative of today’s society.
To you what is talent, and what do you look for?
I wanted to catch the most fascinating people I met throughout my life. They are beautiful, and friends that I respect, but the most important thing to me is that they have something to say, to express.
Do you play music during the casting?
Yes, I love music, and am obsessed with it! I choose any kind of music, everything that is giving me an emotion. It’s the only moment where people, young generations especially, but even older generations, can relax, let themselves go, meet people, and meet love. This is why I love music.
Do you feel that your choices of casting have influenced the diversity of models in general in the fashion industry?
I think we’re all the same, and beauty is something that doesn’t have culture, religion, or colour. I opened my second couture show with nine black girls, some of them I’d discovered, and some of them were established like Naomi Campbell or Liya Kebede. I did it in a very naive way and, in retrospect, a very honest way. I remember all the magazines talking about the casting, and that surprised me. People make such a big deal about using black girls in your casts, but it shouldn’t be a big deal, it should be normal. Your cast should have everything that is related to your world and your aesthetic. It doesn’t matter what a person’s skin colour is, what their gender or sexuality is, you should represent beauty, beauty is beauty.
In your eyes, what is beauty?
A really good model has got a personality. It’s about beauty, of course, like a classic kind of beauty, but that isn’t the only factor. A girl can have an unusual personality or a strange beauty, and for me, you see it and feel it in the moment you meet the girl. You know, at the end of the day, a show is not just made out of the clothes, it’s made out of emotion, and I’m very touched by intelligence and beauty.
By Eliza Scarborough
