This past few weeks has been filled with unfortunate loss. Fashion designer and icon, Hubert De Givenchy has died at the age of 91 on March 10^th, 2018. And a pause of remembrance to Stephen Hawking who also passed this past week on March 14th, 2018 at the age of 76.

Both men changed the world for the better, and to commemorate Givenchy’s legacy, we’ll take a look at his life and all he had to offer to the world of fashion.

Hubert De Givenchy was born into an aristocratic family in Beauvais, France in 1927. He soon became interested in the arts and creating pieces. After attending art school, he acquired an apprenticeship under Jacques Fath at only 17. Even though Givenchy was young, the real recognize real, and he was soon praised for his sleek and feminine designs.

After working with Fath, between 1945-1947, he worked for a slew of notable design houses such as Robert Piguet and Elsa Schiaparelli. He also had the chance to work under Lucien Lelong, and alongside his then-assistants Christian Dior and Pierre Balmain.

In 1952, Givenchy embarks on his own courtier journey and opens the House of Givenchy. In that same year, he launched his first collection, Separates. This collection included light blouses and skirts with symmetrical and architectural designs.

Soon after in 1953, Givenchy met his long-time inspiration, Cristóbal Balenciaga who then became a mentor and a friend. They then partnered up to send shockwaves throughout the fashion world by introducing the “sack dress” (or a shirt dress as we know it now.) This was the beginning of embracing youth fashion and challenging social norms. Givenchy started to introduce the movement towards straight silhouettes and shorter hemlines.

In that same year, Givenchy also met his soon-to-be muse, Audrey Hepburn. He and Hepburn began to team up in a number of projects including his first perfume called L’Interdit. In 1961 Breakfast at Tiffany’s was released where Givenchy's iconic take on the “little black dress” was debuted.

Although Coco Chanel was the original designer of the LBD earlier in the 1920s, Givenchy’s understated elegance approach to it along with Hepburn’s name and fame, were crucial to the popularization of it.

Someone else you may have seen wearing Givenchy’s designs was the former and late first lady, Jackie Kennedy. Amongst other articles of clothing the most famous dress she wore to France when having dinner with Charles de Gaulle, leader of the French Republic.

Jackie O was a style icon of the 1960s who introduced the pillbox hat, oversized sunglasses, and the bob. Givenchy was known as a “maker of style icons”, and that he did.

Then, in 1995, Givenchy presented his last couture collection before retiring and named John Galliano as the new creative director and his successor. Galliano served as head of the Givenchy Couture House for only a year before he moved to the Dior house, and left Alexander McQueen in charge of the notorious fashion house. Finally, in 2005, Ricardo Tisci became head creative director and has been until recently in 2017, when Tisci announced he was stepping down. No new successor has been named thus far.

Over the years Givenchy was awarded the Lifetime Achievement award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America, received an Oscar nomination for “Best Costume Design” in Funny Face (which Hepburn was also in), and had multiple showrooms and exhibits about him and his work, including the “Hubert de Givenchy” exhibit in the Museum of Lace and Fashion in Calais, France. See his most iconic designs and pieces of work here.

Givenchy will always have a place in fashion and will go down as one of the most talented, sophisticated, and elegant designers of our time. Rest in peace Hubert de Givenchy.