For Style.com's latest print issue, Riccardo Tiscistyled an all-Givenchy editorial and revealed much about his personal journey in the magazine's sixth rendition. Even though the issue hits newstands next week, the full piece with Tisci is live over at Style.com, as well as an editorial that show off the label's upcoming fall/winter '14 collection, along with plenty of highly-coveted Nike + R.T. Air Force 1s.
The crux of the conversation centers on Tisci's life-long obsession with America and the bits of culture that he gathered up and dreamed of while growing up broke with nine older sisters and a single mother in Italy. The exported images that stuck with him included "Marky Mark in the Calvin Klein ads, Stephanie Seymour in the video for Guns N' Roses 'November Rain,' the NBA," the last being a clearly heavy influence on Givenchy's fall/winter '14 collection.
In the accompanying editorial, styled by Tisci, and in keeping with the all-USA theme, the clothing is modeled by a band of the designer's American friends. The goal, according to the gregarious Italian, was very specific: "'This portfolio is my vision of America now. Big. Vast. Diverse. Filled with every kind of person, from "bon ton" to club kids. I want to show the freedom of expression, strong point of view, and unique style of these Americans I love and respect.'"
It's a love that was immediate and hasn't lessened since he first landed in America. When Tisci finally arrived in the U.S. in 1996, he threw himself into the hip-hop world and club scene of NYC. And his enthusiasm for New York hasn't faded at all nearly 20 years later: “I love to be in New York because I’m such an obsessed person. I need to learn every day; I need to be fed, and in New York you can get everything delivered to you—culture, fashion, music. It’s a 24-hour injection of new things.”
Always being involved in underground cultures, and remembering his childhood when he would save up for a grail item of clothing or sneakers is what made the collaboration with Nike so special to the designer. The collaboration is a testament to where Tisci and Givenchy stand today—at the height of couture fashion, yet always keeping one eye and one foot in the streets. And while the most recent Fall '14 collection may contain an element of "elegant snobishness," as he puts it, this collection will be the first in the Givenchy boutique that Tisci hopes to open in NYC by the end of the year.
Click over to Style.com for the full article, and make sure you pick up a copy once the issue hits stores next week.
[via Style.com]
