Parfums Givenchy () is a French brand of

perfume Perfume (, ) is a mixture of fragrance, fragrant essential oils or aroma compounds (fragrances), Fixative (perfumery), fixatives and solvents, usually in liquid form, used to give the human body, animals, food, objects, and living-spaces an agre ...

s and

cosmetics Cosmetics are substances that are intended for application to the body for cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering appearance. They are mixtures of chemical compounds derived from either Natural product, natural source ...

, known for fragrances L'Interdit, Amarige, Organza, Pi, and Givenchy III. As part of Givenchy, it has been a subsidiary of

LVMH LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE (), commonly known as LVMH, is a French multinational holding company and conglomerate that specializes in luxury goods and has its headquarters in Paris, France. The company was formed in 1987 through the ...

since 1988.

Presentation

The Givenchy perfume brand belongs to the

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) in 1995.

History

Givenchy was founded in 1952 by designer

Hubert de Givenchy Hubert James Marcel Taffin de Givenchy (; 20 February 1927 – 10 March 2018) was a French fashion designer who founded the luxury fashion and perfume house of Givenchy in 1952. He is famous for having designed much of the personal and professi ...

, who retired in 1995. Known first for his

haute couture (; ; French for 'high sewing', 'high dressmaking') is the creation of exclusive custom-fitted high-end fashion design. The term ''haute couture'' generally refers to a specific type of upper garment common in Europe during the 16th to the ...

work, Givenchy founded Les Parfums Givenchy in 1957. This business division was primarily managed (and owned) by his elder brother Jean-Claude de Givenchy who previously was an airline executive with

Air France Air France (; legally ''Société Air France, S.A.''), stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the flag carrier of France, and is headquartered in Tremblay-en-France. The airline is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and is one of the founding members ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. He left the company shortly after being sold to France's Institut de Développement Industriel in 1979. In 1958, Hubert de Givenchy asked his friend

Audrey Hepburn Audrey Kathleen Hepburn ( Ruston; 4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993) was a British actress. Recognised as a film and fashion icon, she was ranked by the American Film Institute as the third-greatest female screen legend from the Classical Holly ...

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 (business), product or Service (economics), service. Advertising aims to present a product or service in terms of utility, advantages, and qualities of int ...

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 a stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at Guinness Brewery, St. James's Gate, Dublin, Ireland, in the 18th century. It is now owned by the British-based Multinational corporation, multinational alcoholic bever ...

, Grimaldi and Kennedy families, who famously wore Givenchy clothes to the funeral of

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also known as JFK, was the 35th president of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. He was the first Roman Catholic and youngest person elected p ...

. 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 for the main competition. South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho won the , the festival's top prize, fo ...

, 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

* {{LVMH 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