Hubert de Givenchy dies aged 91
French designer is famed for creating iconic looks including Audrey Hepburn's little black dress









World-renowned French fashion designer Hubert de Givenchy has died at the age of 91.
His partner, former haute couture designer Philippe Venet, said he died in his sleep in their Renaissance chateau near Paris on Saturday.
Givenchy was considered “one of the best known fashion names of the 20th century”, says The Daily Telegraph.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
He was arguably most famous for the looks he created for film star and style icon Audrey Hepburn, including the “little black dress” she wore in the opening scene of 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Givenchy even got an Oscar nomination, in 1958, for his work on her costumes in Funny Face.
“His are the only clothes in which I am myself. He is far more than a couturier, he is a creator of personality,” Hepburn once said of the designer.
Givenchy came from an aristocratic background and began his career working with Pierre Balmain and Christian Dior after the Second World War. He also worked for designer Elsa Schiaparelli, before founding his own fashion house in 1952.
His “star-studded” list of clients also included Wallis Simpson, Duchess of Windsor, Princess Grace of Monaco and Jackie Kennedy Onassis.
Givenchy sold his company for $45m in 1988, but remained creative director until he retired, in 1995.
In a statement this weekend, Givenchy’s label described him as “a symbol of Parisian elegance for more than half a century... who revolutionised fashion”.
“To dress a woman is to make her beautiful,” Givenchy once said. “In haute couture, we are cosmetic surgeons, erasing imperfections and refining the silhouette... for isn’t a couturier a magician of sorts, who creates illusion and perhaps beauty itself.”
Tributes have poured in from fans including US Elle editor Nina Garcia, The New York Times fashion director Vanessa Friedman and celebrity stylist Joe Zee.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The rise and rise of VTubers
Under The Radar This anime-inspired internet subculture is going global
By Abby Wilson
-
Book reviews: 'The Thinking Machine: Jensen Huang, Nvidia, and the World’s Most Coveted Microchip' and 'Who Is Government? The Untold Story of Public Service'
Feature The tech titan behind Nvidia's success and the secret stories of government workers
By The Week US
-
Mario Vargas Llosa: The novelist who lectured Latin America
Feature The Peruvian novelist wove tales of political corruption and moral compromise
By The Week US
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designation
The Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
By Justin Klawans, The Week US
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across Syria
THE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weapons
The Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
By Abby Wilson
-
The arrest of the Philippines' former president leaves the country's drug war in disarray
In the Spotlight Rodrigo Duterte was arrested by the ICC earlier this month
By Justin Klawans, The Week US
-
Ukrainian election: who could replace Zelenskyy?
The Explainer Donald Trump's 'dictator' jibe raises pressure on Ukraine to the polls while the country is under martial law
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK
-
Why Serbian protesters set off smoke bombs in parliament
THE EXPLAINER Ongoing anti-corruption protests erupted into full view this week as Serbian protesters threw the country's legislature into chaos
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Who is the Hat Man? 'Shadow people' and sleep paralysis
In Depth 'Sleep demons' have plagued our dreams throughout the centuries, but the explanation could be medical
By The Week Staff
-
Why Assad fell so fast
The Explainer The newly liberated Syria is in an incredibly precarious position, but it's too soon to succumb to defeatist gloom
By The Week UK