A Campus In Style: What to know about high fashion labels

Normally, designer and luxury wear isn’t my speciality. For obvious reasons, I can’t afford 90 percent of styles that float down a runway. At this point, I could feasibly purchase the shoelaces and maybe inner soles of a pair of Margiela or Louboutin sneakers, but that’s about it. However, through the media, anyone watching television or reading magazines is at least exposed to a wide variety of designers and brands. Whether fashion weeks in Paris or New York, people all around the world direct their attention to designers and celebrities and the newest styles.

In American pop culture, luxury French brand Givenchy has become a go-to label for musicians, athletes and many others. The House of Givenchy was founded in 1952 by designer Hubert de Givenchy. Now, it is a part of the Voltron-like French company LVMH, along side other huge divisions like Christian Dior, Marc Jacobs, Hennessy, Hublot and Louis Vuitton. In more recent years, this brand has expanded into major media markets under the leadership of two designers, Ricardo Tisci and Ozwald Boateng.

In 2005, Tisci took over as chief designer of women’s wear, a throne previously held by John Galliano, Julien Macdonald and Alexander McQueen. His gothic and minimalist style, combined with a keen eye for geometric patterns, have created some of the more famous images of the Givenchy line. Amongst the most popular, the “Birds of Paradise” print was featured on t-shirts, pants, hats and blazers (for a high price of course; a t-shirt goes for around $300-$500).

Givenchy’s graphic t-shirts are the most popular item, which isn’t what one would expect from a high fashion label. With help from rappers like Rick Ross, ASAP Rocky, Danny Brown, Pusha T and Big Sean, the t-shirts are becoming even more of a popular craze. Along with the “Birds of Paradise” image, other designs include last year’s Rottweiler design and this year’s “Jaws”-like shark print. Even New York Knicks star Amare Stoudemire has been seen in public with the shark print sweater.

For Ticsi, individual fame came through last year’s collaboration with rappers Kanye West and Jay-Z. Tisci designed the artwork for the duo’s single “H.A.M.”, as well as the album art for their very successful album, “Watch The Throne”. During Kanye and Jay’s tour around the world, Tisci also designed their merch and wardrobe. Next week, Kanye West is set to release an album, entitled “Cruel Summer.” The artwork for the album came out a few days ago, and Tisci is seemingly the brain behind this creation as well.