Ch. 14 - Marketing Channels and Retailing

Givenchy is a high end maison that prides itself on being the ultra-luxurious high end fashion company. Which means that their item can only bought through authorized Givenchy dealers, boutiques, their main website, and sometimes popup shops. They currently have 37 authorized Givenchy stores worldwide, most of them being in China. This type of retailing makes them a direct channel, where as the producer "Givenchy" directly sells to the consumer. However, as of today the Haute couture has expanded into a retailer channel. Who is their middleman? Well the biggest one so far is Barney's. Barney's not only carry Givenchy, they are known for the department store that carries countless other high end clothing. Other retailers for Givenchy can be found through many websites that carry high end clothing. Few big ones being Ssenses, Saks 5th Ave, and Bergdorf Goodman. Just don't expect these retailers to carry EVERYTHING that Givenchy produces.

Givenchy flagship store in Paris

Givenchy flagship store in CheongDam Korea

Ch. 6 - Consumer Decision Making

Givenchy's concept is to produce fashion, lead fashion, and explain fashion. They have made thousands of creative clothes for its specific target market, people who seek the most avant-garde fashion design. Givenchy designs today apparently considers more of the younger audiences taste. Large graphic prints like the rottweiler was a huge money cow for them. With the rottweiler design, they set out to design more patterns. Designs include birds of paradise, religous pattern and even more rottweilers. The brand just keep on its track to please the customers who want the most fashionable clothing. What other way is there is lead fashion than pleasing the younger customers? It is hard to believe but the younger generation promote the trends. If one person wear something that catches another persons eye a chain starts. Givenchy needs the younger audience to to promote its brand and new creative products.

A$AP Rocky in the Birds of Paradise tee

Ch. 5 - Developing a Global Vision

Givenchy the great maison of haute couture history isn't just what they claim they are; luxury goods and jewelry. They are way more than that. Starting from 1969, Hubert de Givenchy launched his fashion line for men "Gentleman Givenchy". Things began to snowball from there. Givenchy was known for many things in the 1960s including shoes, jewelry, ties, tableware, upholstery and kimonos. Product designs were a work of art. They were so successful at one point Hubert de Givenchy became passionate about interior design that he was the one to design the interiors of the Hilton Hotels around the world. In addition to that in 1977 they worked with Lincoln to produce a Luxurous car, the Lincoln Continental Mark V, which of course sold out instantly. In 1988 the house of Givenchy then joined LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton), which also owns the fashion houses of Dior, Lacroix and Kenzo.

The Lincoln Continental Mark V

As of today the fashion house is still rapidly growing. The CEO of Givenchy, Sebastian Suhl has spoken about the brand's constant development since the beginning of LVMH. He stated that to continue this rapid growth LVHM and himself are planning to open 26 new boutiques. This can happen because Givenchy post 2013 revenue at almost $234 million, market sources predicts that it will be reaching half a billion within the next few years. And of course Suhl gave most of the credit to the creative designer, Riccardo Tisci, as it is he who made the products very much desired.

Sebastian Suhl

Ch. 4 - The Marketing Environment

Fashion is in constantly changing, it is never just one thing. Creativity, motivation and innovation is the drive of fashion, hence why things become trendy. What is trending at on moment, may not tomorrow. That is just the world of fashion; you will never be bored.


In 1952 Hubert de Givenchy started his own couture house, la Maison Givenchy, also launching his debut collections of floor skirts and beautiful blouses. Two years later, Givenchy became the first couturier to present a luxury ready-to-wear line. Being first means a lot of things, in this case it means that Givenchy's product get to target a certain group of people first, the very rich. At the time Hubert de Givenchy only focused on women clothing lines, which was a huge success. Givenchy then introduced the first male line is the seventies, and since then the Givenchy brand has been targeting the male audience with their men's collection.

As of the past few years Givenchy has tried to make their products more affordable to another set of group, the young adults. To do so, they have created the Givenchy app, two different apps, one for men and one for women. This allows young adults that are always on social media to always stay in touch with what Givenchy has to offer.

Link:

The Givenchy App Details

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Ch. 3 - Ethics & Social Responsibility

$265 for a tee shirt.... now who in the right mind would purchase that, am I right? Well I did and so did hundreds of other people. The 2011 Givenchy Rottweiler print is very iconic to a point where the sweater retailed for $960. The fashion mogul Riccardo Tisci must be doing something right for such an item to be sold out worldwide.

Info on price w/ pictures of product  


If you are calling the hundreds of people and myself crazy and materialistic, then by all means do let me explain. The way Givenchy live up to is ethical standards is no other than great quality. Almost all T-shirts are made primarily of cotton, sometimes blended with polyester. However Givenchy use a fancier cotton blend and may also incorporate silk, for a more luxurious feel. Also people might stretch and wash the shirts several times to achieve a softer feel. Yes the items are really expensive but you are ultimately paying for the quality of the material and the print. If it is the name that people are purchasing for then that is marketing done right. If the people that but the stuff because celebrities wore it, then their marketing strategy for that specific target group was done right. All in all the rottweiler print have lived up to its standard by simply appearing in almost every season after 2011. Same dog different print, style and silhouette. 

Chapter 2 : Strategic Planning for a Competetive Advantage

      Hubert de Givenchy, the luxury brands' founding father, was the trendsetter of his time. 

Thanks to the underlying ideology that says, "Innovation is key to our success." and "the customer is boss", the company has survived and will continue to thrive. 

      Givenchy offers a wide variation of marketing strategies, by targeting different consumer groups and using advertisement. The advertisement the implement isn't as basic like the ones you see on subways and streets. When was the last time you seen a Givenchy public advertisement, let alone ever in this decade. They happen to be in magazines or from 3rd party sites that carry their collections. One advertisement strategy Givenchy and other Haute Couture do that is very profitable is sponsoring celebrities. Through this strategy alone has let a SINGLE design to thrive. The infamous rottweiler print, debuted on Givenchy's Fall 2011 men's runway, it has been worn to death by everyone from Kanye West to Liv Tyler to various street style stars. " I got the idea from a "boy scout book." We're not sure exactly what that is--a handbook perhaps? But, it is a surprisingly innocent point of reference for such an aggressive-seeming graphic. "It's not a violent picture, for me, it's a sweet dog. It represents power and sweetness." - Givenchy Creative Director Riccardo Tisci.

Chapter 1: Company History and Mission Statement

      
General Description
       Givenchy is a luxury French brand of haute couture clothing, accessories, Parfum, perfumes and cosmetics.

  

Company History     

       The house of Givenchy was founded in 1952 by designer Hubert de Givenchy and is a member of Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture et du Pret-a-Porter. It is owned by luxury group LVMH and in 1993 achieved a total sales worth of $176 million, making it the second largest apparel division of LVMH after Dior.

Hubert de Givenchy

Mission Statement

       Riccardo Tisci was named Creative Director for Givenchy Women's haute couture and ready-to-wear lines. In May 2008 he was additionally named as menswear and accessories designer of the Givenchy men's division. Throughout the decade his work revitalized the Givenchy brand and infusing it with his precision and imagination for Gothic touches. 

Riccardo Tisci (Left), Kanye West (Right)