Virgil Abloh has not been approached about taking over the creative director mantle at Givenchy, the French fashion house confirmed Friday. Following Riccardo Tisci's exit earlier this month, speculation had placed the Off-White designer among the leading candidates to takeover Givenchy. That speculation, Women's Wear Daily now says, was premature.
"Givenchy's new creative organization will be communicated shortly," a spokesperson told WWD. "Mr. Abloh was not approached by the house and is not to join the organization." Abloh declined comment to WWD, but "reiterated" his goal of one day leading a luxury fashion house.
Previously, Abloh outlined his career as a "case study" on how to bring luxury houses into the future. "I have a litany of ideas that bring modern relevance, but also a financial vision on how these brands can be more successful in the space of luxury," he said in 2016. "Off-White is sort of my résumé and it's my laboratory to experiment with these ideas to see which ones are valid."
Tiscis is heading to Versace, though a report from Vogue Thursday cautioned against excitement from potential consumers. Citing other examples including Raf Simons' nine-month delay in officially starting work at Calvin Klein after leaving Dior, Vogue noted that a possible non-compete clause could stand in the way of a Tisci x Versace confirmation for six months or longer:
Unless Givenchy decides to release Tisci from the rumored clause, Tisci may—in the meantime—work independently.
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