Givenchy’s Fashion Show Set for Spring/Summer 2024
Last Thursday at L’Ecole Millitaire in Paris, Givenchy’s Spring/Summer 2024 show transformed an atmosphere fit for fashion patrons into a whimsical, large-scale urban sculpture. Imagined by the designer and founder of Collaborative Architecture Laboratory (CAL), Gabriel Calatrava, the runway set was collaboratively created with the house’s creative director Matthew M. Williams to match the maison’s approach to contemporary elegance.
Courtesy of Givenchy.
Through an all-white presentation of a steel skeleton tented in lightweight fabric—created from reusable and rented materials—the immersive project questioned conventions and balanced dichotomies. Seen and experienced through an architectural lens, it presented a calm, monochromatic scenography to highlight the new collection.
Calatrava shared with Whitewall how he worked with Givenchy over four months to create the scenography for its latest show, and what his studio is creating next.
Gabriel Caltrava, portrait of courtesy of Givenchy.
Givenchy Gets Architectural with Gabriel Calatrava
WHITEWALL: How did your collaboration with Givenchy begin?
GABRIEL CALATRAVA: I was thrilled when Givenchy approached me with the incredible opportunity to design the set for their Spring Summer 2024 collection. The collaboration commenced with Matthew, the Givenchy team, and I joining for a series of meetings where we explored the world of fashion. This was an essential part of the journey since our primary expertise lies in the built environment, this was relatively unfamiliar territory.
WW: From an architectural lens, what was the starting point for the design of the set? Was there any direction provided by Matthew M. Williams?
GC: During the design phase, Givenchy invited me to the men’s show to better understand the production demands. On our drive through Paris, we saw a show being dismantled, leaving only the tent’s structure. This observation sparked ideas on how we could reinvent the typical runway tent to craft something fresh and unique.
Courtesy of Givenchy.
The Givenchy Set Design Delivers New Elegance
WW: The immersive atmosphere embodies the brand’s spirit—a “new elegance.” What details or materials (like steel, fabric, etc.) from the scenography evoked this?
GC: Our interpretation of “new elegance” was to infuse transparency into the set design. Our goal was to accentuate the essential components—exposing the structure completely and allowing the skin to manifest itself in a unique way.
WW: The venue is transformed into an urban sculpture, exploring dichotomies of life—like hard/soft, natural/urban, etc.—that Williams regularly explores in his work at Givenchy. Would you say you do, too, in your work?
GC: By inverting the tent’s structure and skin and playing with their contrasting materials, we underscored the dichotomy between these pivotal elements. The scale of the tent’s structural frame engaged with that of the surrounding architecture at L’Ecole Militaire, while the suspended fabric established a more intimate connection between the viewer, model, and collection.
Courtesy of Givenchy.
Boundless Creativity in Architecture and Fashion
WW: You’re a structural engineer and architect by trade. What was it like collaborating with a fashion brand for runway design?
GC: The fashion industry is an incredible creative force, and while immersed in this environment, we witnessed the immense effort required to orchestrate a fashion show. The project, from conception to completion, spanned four months—a timeframe considerably shorter than what we’re accustomed to in architecture and engineering. Moreover, the wealth of skill and expertise required at every production stage to shape a cohesive collection was truly inspiring. Crafting a memorable spatial experience to complement this colossal effort was a welcomed challenge.
WW: What is your studio, CAL, working on this season?
GC: Currently, CAL is engaged in several global projects, including a couple of product design endeavors, a pavilion structure in Lisbon, a rapidly deployable shelter for the displaced, numerous hospitality projects in Vietnam, multiple private residences across North America and The Bahamas, and a 60-story residential tower in downtown Toronto.
Courtesy of Givenchy.
