Givenchy to show during New York Fashion Week

London - Givenchy has decided to shake things up a little bit and made the leap from showing in Paris to showing in New York. The luxury French label has chosen to show its spring/summer 2016 collection during New York Fashion Week to coincide with the opening of its new flagship store on Madison Avenue.

On September 11, Givenchy will host its catwalk show which will be followed by a celebratory party to mark the opening of the 5,000 square foot flagship store at 747 Madison Avenue designed by the label's creative director Riccardo Tisci. "It’s a very delicate day for America, and so the show is going to be a celebration of family and love," said Tisci in an interview with WWD. The creative director will be working together with performance artist Marina Abramović to ensure the event is special. "She’s going to help me to art direct the show. It’s going to be very interesting."

The store opening comes after the luxury label shut down its former standalone store on Madison Avenue in 2006, and has been absent from the city since then - although Givenchy does have two boutiques in the US at the moment, one in Miami, Florida and another in Wynn, Las Vegas. The brand has plans to open another stand alone store in Miami's Aventura Mall next year, as well as in Milan, Rome and London, with Tisci overseeing the design of the new units. "It seems like history repeating itself," commented Philippe Fortunato, Givenchy CEO and chairman on Tisci's decision to show the collection in the US, noting that the jump from showing in Paris to New York is likely to be a one-off.

Hubert de Givenchy, the founder of Givenchy, introduced his haute couture and ready-to-wear collections in the US early in his career and made strong relations with the country's elite, including Audrey Hepburn. Tisci himself has always been open in regards to his love for the US and is said to spend a vast amount of time in New York City. "It gives me so much energy, and I'm very inspired by the culture," he said. "I feel free when I'm there." News of the change of show locations comes shortly after Tisci presented Givenchy's menswear collection in Paris, during Men's Fashion Week and saw the creative director call upon his female muses as well as male muses to showcase the spring/summer 2016 range.

Image: Backstage with Riccardo Tisci, Givenchy menswear SS 16. mffashion_com