Riccardo Tisci: Givenchy Names Young Italian to Design Womenswear

Riccardo Tisci Givenchy Names Young Italian to Design Womenswear
Venerable French fashion house Givenchy named little-known Italian designer Riccardo Tisci to take over as chief designer of womenswear, putting an end to a difficult year-long search.

The 30-year-old Tisci will present his first collection for Givenchy in July during haute couture week.

He is a 1999 graduate of London's famed Central Saint Martins School of Art and Design, alma mater of an entire generation of top designers including Alexander McQueen, John Galliano, Stella McCartney and Phoebe Philo.

Tisci, who formerly worked for German sportswear label Puma and Italian brand Coccapani, has shown his own collections in Milan for the past two seasons.

Last week in the Italian fashion capital, he sketched a long, clean silhouette, primarily in black, with his autumn-winter 2005-06 line.

"I am delighted to join Givenchy and very proud to be able to bring my vision to this prestigious French haute couture house, whose history inspires me," Tisci said in a statement released by the label.

According to a source close to the deal who asked not to be named, Tisci won the job after he agreed to shelve his personal ambitions to concentrate "150 percent" on Givenchy, and also because of his "modern vision" for the house.

"He was the only candidate that did not refer back to Hubert de Givenchy, Audrey Hepburn,