Parfums Givenchy () is a French brand of
perfume
Perfume (, ; french: parfum) is a mixture of fragrant essential oils or aroma compounds (fragrances), fixatives and solvents, usually in liquid form, used to give the human body, animals, food, objects, and living-spaces an agreeable scent. Th ...
s and
cosmetics
Cosmetics are constituted mixtures of chemical compounds derived from either natural sources, or synthetically created ones. Cosmetics have various purposes. Those designed for personal care and skin care can be used to cleanse or protect ...
, known for fragrances
L'Interdit,
Amarige
Amarige is a perfume produced by French fashion house Givenchy. Amarige was introduced in 1991, created by perfumer Dominique Ropion
Dominique Ropion (; born 1955) is a French master perfumer. Born in Paris, he trained at Roure Bertrand Dupon ...
, Organza, Pi, and
Givenchy III. As part of
Givenchy
Givenchy (, ) is a French luxury fashion and perfume house. It hosts the brand of haute couture and ready-to-wear clothing, accessories, perfumes and cosmetics of Parfums Givenchy. The house of Givenchy was founded in 1952 by designer Hubert de ...
, it has been a subsidiary of
LVMH
LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (), commonly known as LVMH, is a French holding multinational corporation and conglomerate specializing in luxury goods, headquartered in Paris. The company was formed in 1987 through the merger of fashion house ...
since 1988.
Presentation
The Givenchy perfume brand belongs to the
LVMH
LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (), commonly known as LVMH, is a French holding multinational corporation and conglomerate specializing in luxury goods, headquartered in Paris. The company was formed in 1987 through the merger of fashion house ...
luxury group since 1987. It has two factories in France. A perfume production plant (50%) and cosmetics (50%) located in Beauvais in the Oise (about 400 employees) opened in 1968 and a perfume plant located in Vervins in the Aisne (about 250 employees) open in 1995.
History
Givenchy
Givenchy (, ) is a French luxury fashion and perfume house. It hosts the brand of haute couture and ready-to-wear clothing, accessories, perfumes and cosmetics of Parfums Givenchy. The house of Givenchy was founded in 1952 by designer Hubert de ...
was founded in 1952 by designer
Hubert de Givenchy
Count Hubert James Marcel Taffin de Givenchy (; 21 February 1927 – 10 March 2018) was a French aristocrat and fashion designer who founded the luxury fashion and perfume house of Givenchy in 1952. He is famous for having designed much of the p ...
,
who retired in 1995.
Known first for his
haute couture
''Haute couture'' (; ; French for 'high sewing', 'high dressmaking') is the creation of exclusive custom-fitted high-end fashion design that is constructed by hand from start-to-finish. Beginning in the mid-nineteenth century, Paris became th ...
work, Givenchy founded Les Parfums Givenchy in 1957.
In 1958, Hubert de Givenchy asked his friend
Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn (born Audrey Kathleen Ruston; 4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993) was a British actress and humanitarian. Recognised as both a film and fashion icon, she was ranked by the American Film Institute as the AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars, t ...
to be the face of his parfume,
L'Interdit,
which only she was allowed to wear for a full year.
He created a revolution in using, for the first time, a movie star on an
advertising
Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...
campaign.
Monsieur de Givenchy and l'Eau de Vetiver were launched in 1957 and 1959, respectively,
followed in 1970 by the launch of the female fragrance Givenchy III
with the slogan "Who knows why one is reminded of a particular woman and not another one? Givenchy III gives memories to men." The success of Parfums Givenchy led to the construction of a factory in Beauvais.
Famous patrons include the
Guinness
Guinness () is an Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin, Ireland, in 1759. It is one of the most successful alcohol brands worldwide, brewed in almost 50 countries, and available in ove ...
,
Grimaldi and
Kennedy
Kennedy may refer to:
People
* John F. Kennedy (1917–1963), 35th president of the United States
* John Kennedy (Louisiana politician), (born 1951), US Senator from Louisiana
* Kennedy (surname), a family name (including a list of persons with t ...
families, who famously wore Givenchy clothes to the funeral of
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination i ...
.
Hubert de Givenchy created the “4G” logo for the brand and a cosmetic line launched in the United States.
Some of Givenchy's successful fragrances include Ysatis, Amarige, Organza, Very Irresistible, Ange ou Démon, Dahlia noir (2011) for women, and Monsieur de Givenchy (first fragrance for men, 1959), Gentleman, Pi, Givenchy pour Homme, Vetyver and Play for men.
In May 2019, a first-ever pop-up Givenchy beauty suite opened its doors to the visitors of the
2019 Cannes Film Festival
The 72nd annual Cannes Film Festival took place from 14 to 25 May 2019. Mexican filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu served as jury president. The Palme d'Or went to the South Korean film ''Parasite'', directed by Bong Joon-ho; Bong became t ...
, where the guests of the Cannes Film Festival could get their Givenchy makeover ahead of the red carpet premiere. This was part of an effort to revitalize the cosmetics line.
The perfumes
In 2000, in order to contribute to the revival of the brand, Parfums Givenchy appointed designer Pablo Reinoso as artistic director of the company. The stylist Riccardo Tisci, artistic director of the Givenchy house from 2005 to 2017, participated in the creations of Givenchy perfumes following the departure of Reinoso from the group in 2006. Since May 2017, artistic direction has been provided by Clare Waight Keller, until in April 2020.
* L'interdit de Givenchy, 1957
* ''Le De'', 1957
* ''Monsieur'', 1959
* ''Givenchy III'', 1970
* ''Gentleman'', 1974
* ''Eau de Givenchy'', 1980
* ''Ysatis'', 1984
* ''Amarige'', 1991
* ''Insensé'', 1993
* ''Organza'', 1996
* ''Pi'', 1998
* ''Hot Couture'', 2000
* ''Very Irresistible'', 2003
* ''Absolutely Givenchy'', 2006
* ''Ange ou Démon'', 2006
* ''Absolutely Irresistible'', 2008
* ''Play'', 2008
* ''Ange ou Démon Le Secret'', 2009
* ''Play for Her'', 2010
* ''Very Irrésistble Intense'', 2011
* ''Dahlia Noir'', 2011
* ''Dahlia Divin,'' 2014
* ''Live Irresistible'', 2015
* ''L'Interdit'', 2018
* ''Irresistible Givenchy,'' 2020
References
External links
*
Perfume houses
French brands
Luxury brands
Companies based in Paris
Chemical companies established in 1957
French companies established in 1957
LVMH brands
Taffin de Givenchy family
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