Fashion design house founded in 1952 by Count Hubert James Marcel Taffin de Givenchy, who had worked previously under Jacques Fath, Robert Piguet and Lucien Lelong, among others, although he frequently said that his true mentor was Cristobal Balenciaga. In 1953, Givenchy met Audrey Hepburn; she became his friend and muse and made his fashions world famous; other well-known clients included Jackie Kennedy and Grace Kelly.
Givenchy sold his fashion house to Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy in 1988, and retired in 1995; he passed away in 2018. He was succeeded by John Galliano, who was followed by Alexander McQueen, Julien MacDonald, Ozwald Boateng, Riccardo Tisci, Clare Waight Keller. As of 2020, Matthew Williams is creative director at the house of Givenchy.
Fragrances include Le De Givenchy (1957), L'Interdit (inspired by Audrey Hepburn, 1957), Givenchy III (1970), Givenchy Gentleman (1974), Eau de Givenchy (1980), Ysatis (1984), Amarige (1991), Organza (1996), Organza Indecence (1999), Hot Couture (2000), Eau Torride (2003), Very Irresistible (2003).
Fragrances for men include Monsieur de Givenchy (1959), Xeryus (1986), Pi (1999), Givenchy Pour Homme (2002) and Very Irresistible for men (2005).
Les Millesimes de Givenchy & Les Parfums Mythiques
In 2005, Givenchy introduced a limited edition harvest collection, Les Millesimes de Givenchy, in which existing Givenchy perfumes are reformulated with floral harvests of a particular vintage. Each year, they have added three or more fragrances to the range; each collection is based on the prior year's harvest and is dated accordingly (so the 2009 collection appears in the spring of 2010, and so on).
To date, the harvest fragrances include Amarige Harvest (2005), Organza Jasmin d'Inde & Very Irresistible Rose Bulgare (2006), Givenchy Les Millesimes 2006 (2007), Givenchy Les Millesimes 2007 (2008), Givenchy Harvest Collection 2008 (2009), Givenchy Harvest Collection 2009 (2010), Givenchy Harvest Collection 2010 (2011).
In 2007, Givenchy released Les Parfums Mythiques, a collection of 10 older fragrances, including some that had been discontinued (Le De, L'Interdit, Monsieur, Vetyver, Givenchy III, Eau de Givenchy, Xeryus, Insense, Extravagance d'Amarige & Organza Indecence).
Recent fragrances from Givenchy
2005: Very Irresistible Sensual
2006: Very Irresistible Summer, Givenchy Ange ou Demon, Lovely Prism, Amarige Mariage, Jardin d'Interdit
2007: Absolutely Givenchy, Givenchy Very Irresistible Soleil D'Ete & Very Irresistible Fresh Attitude, Secrets of Jardin d'Interdit, Insense Ultramarine Blue Sky
2008: Pi Neo, My Givenchy Dream, Ange ou Demon Tendre, Very Irresistible Givenchy Summer Cocktail, Jardin d'Interdit My Lovely Butterfly, Givenchy Play For Him, Absolutely Irresistible Givenchy
2009: Be Givenchy, Very Irresistible Summer Sorbet, Ange ou Demon Le Secret
2010: Dance with Givenchy, Eaudemoiselle, Play Summer Vibrations & Very Irresistible Summer Vibrations, Play For Her, Naturally Chic, Ange ou Démon Le Secret Santal d’Hiver & Very Irrésistible Givenchy Cèdre d’Hiver.
2011: Very Irrésistible Givenchy L’Intense, Very Irrésistible Tropical Paradise & Pi Néo Tropical Paradise, Dahlia Noir, Ange ou Démon Le Secret Elixir, Poetry of a Winter Fragrance / Poésie d’un parfum d’Hiver 2011, Le Bouquet Absolu.
2012: Play Sport, Very Irrésistible Givenchy Electric Rose, Les Créations Couture, Eaudemoiselle Bois de Oud & Un Air d’Escapade, Eaudemoiselle Eau Florale
2013: Gentleman Only, Dahlia Noir L’Eau, Givenchy Bloom, Very Irrésistible Edition Croisière, Eaudemoiselle Ambre Velours, Dahlia Noir Le Bal
2014: Very Irrésistible L'Eau en Rose, Gentlemen Only Intense, Rêve d’Escapade, Ange ou Démon Le Secret Eau de Toilette Edition Croisière, L'Atelier de Givenchy Ambre Tigré, Bois Martial, Cuir Blanc, Chypre Caresse, Néroli Originel, Oud Flamboyant & Ylang Austral, Dahlia Divin
2015: Very Irrésistible Mes Envies, Ange ou Démon Le Parfum & Accord Illicite, Eaudemoiselle Absolu d’Oranger, Gentlemen Only Casual Chic, Jardin Précieux, Immortelle Tribal, Live Irrésistible, Insensé Ultramarine Blue Energy, Gaïac Mystique, Pi Extreme
2016: Eaudemoiselle Rose à la Folie, Gentlemen Only Parisian Break, Éclats Précieux, Ange ou Démon Le Secret Edition Riviera, Iris Harmonique, Dahlia Divin Le Nectar de Parfum, Gentlemen Only Absolute, L'Ange Noir
2017: Eaudemoiselle Essence des Palais, Live Irrésistible Eau de Parfum Délicieuse, Pi Air, Gentlemen Only Eau de Toilette Fraîche, Songe Précieux, Rose Ardente, Dahlia Divin Eau de Parfum Nude, Eaudemoiselle Romantic, Extravagant & Angelic, Gentleman (new version)
2018: Live Irrésistible Blossom Crush, Dahlia Divin Eau Initiale, Encens Divin, Eau de Givenchy (new version), L'Interdit (new version)
2019: Live Irrésistible Rosy Crush, Myrrhe Carmin, Eau de Givenchy Rosée, Patchouli de Minuit
Where to buy
The Givenchy perfume line can be found at major department stores or online fragrance discounters. In 2010, Givenchy opened a stand-alone boutique at Epcot in Orlando, Florida.
Website
Further reading
See all articles on Now Smell This tagged Givenchy, or take a look at our collection of Givenchy fragrance commercials.