Givenchy turns to celebrity selfies: Is this the future of fashion campaigns?

The French fashion house has introduced its latest campaign and it has a lot of celebrities

Matthew M Williams for the Givenchy spring / summer 2021 campaign. Courtesy Givenchy

Maria Sharapova in the Givenchy spring / summer 2021 campaign. Courtesy Givenchy

Laura Dern in the Givenchy spring / summer 2021 campaign. Courtesy Givenchy

Liv Tyler in the Givenchy spring / summer 2021 campaign. Courtesy Givenchy

Travis Scott and Kylie Jenner appear in the Givenchy spring / summer 2021 campaign. Courtesy Givenchy

Skepta in the Givenchy spring / summer 2021 campaign. Courtesy Givenchy

070 Shake in the Givenchy spring / summer 2021 campaign. Courtesy Givenchy

Kaia Gerber in the Givenchy spring / summer 2021 campaign. Courtesy Givenchy

Teezo Touchdown in the Givenchy spring / summer 2021 campaign. Courtesy Givenchy

He hasn't been at the helm of Givenchy for very long, but Matthew M Williams is already tearing up the rule book.

For his highly acclaimed debut collection for spring / summer 2021, rather than shoot a glossy advertising campaign or make a slick short film for it, he's decided to come up with an entirely new approach.

He asked famous people to take selfies of themselves wearing the new collection. Seemingly happy to oblige, images of everyone from Naomi Campbell to Maria Sharapova have been released.

Actress Julianne Moore dons devilish head-to-toe red, while model Kaia Gerber is angelic in all white. Actress Liv Tyler opts for all black, complete with thigh-high boots and a face visor, while UK rapper Skepta looks sinister with a shovel in hand, having taken off his suit jacket out in the woods.

Rocker and rapper Teezo Touchdown looks wonderfully outrageous in high-waisted trousers and a nail-studded cowboy hat, as US rapper Travis Scott appears with his on-again, off-again partner Kylie Jenner.

The predictably risque image of Kim Kardashian is interesting, more for the errant hair extension lying on the floor, while actress Laura Dern takes to the wilderness in a man’s suit and red sneakers.

US rapper 070 Shake stole the show in pink trousers and a red polo neck pulled up over her face with concrete architecture in the background. Even digital model Lil Miquela makes an appearance, while Dior Men designer Kim Jones rounds things off with a nicely surreal touch, with a shot of just a jacket.

This new method feels very much a natural successor to the Zoom fashion shoots that have taken place since the pandemic turned the world upside down. However, this high / low-key campaign is, nonetheless, groundbreaking in that it has shunned the industry standard of hiring a big-name photographer to create glossy images.

Instead, this new campaign is raw, unpolished, edgy and brimming with disjointed creativity – much like the actual clothes themselves. A world away from the immaculate dresses once worn by muse Audrey Hepburn, this new approach for advertising is altogether more spontaneous, and energised, much like the new designer himself.