Clare Waight Keller
Clare Waight Keller (born 19 August 1970) is a British stylist and fashion designer, who has served as the Artistic Director for a number of luxury fashion houses and brands, including Pringle of Scotland, Chloé, and Givenchy.[1][2]
Clare Waight Keller | |
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Born | Clare Waight 19 August 1970 Birmingham, England |
Education | |
Occupation | Fashion designer |
Spouse | Philip Keller |
Children | 3 |
Early life
Keller was born in Birmingham, England on 19 August 1970.[3] She studied at Ravensbourne College of Art, where she graduated with a bachelor's degree in Fashion, followed by a master's degree at the Royal College of Art.[4]
Career
She started her career at Calvin Klein in New York as a stylist for the women's ready-to-wear line, then at Ralph Lauren, for the Purple Label menswear line.[5] In 2000, she was hired by Tom Ford to join Gucci, responsible for women's ready-to-wear and accessories, until her departure in 2004.[4] The following year, she became artistic director of Pringle of Scotland.[6] In 2007, she received the Scottish Fashion Awards 'Designer of the Year' in the cashmere category.[7] She resigned her position at Pringle of Scotland in 2011.[6] In the same year, she moved to Paris where she became the artistic director of Chloé. In 2017, Keller was appointed artistic director of haute couture and ready-to-wear for women and men at Givenchy.[8] Replacing Riccardo Tisci, she was the first woman to hold the position at the company.[9]
She designed the wedding dress which Meghan Markle wore for her wedding to Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, on 19 May 2018.[10]
For her second couture show, Waight Keller went through Givenchy's archives, and used modern materials "to create something that floats".[11]
In January 2019, for autumn/winter 19, Waight Keller presented her first standalone menswear collection for Givenchy in Paris. It was an intimate salon show that just consisted of 17 looks with a complete day to evening wardrobe. While future Givenchy ready-to-wear and haute couture shows will remain combined, this means Waight Keller's vision of Givenchy menswear is given its own stage.[12][13]
She left Givenchy on 10 April 2020.[14]
Awards and honours
At the 2018 British Fashion Awards, Keller was presented the British Designer of the Year Womenswear Award by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and actress Rosamund Pike.[15][16]
In 2019, Time magazine included Keller in its annual list of the most influential people of the year.[17]
Personal life
She is married to Philip Keller, an architect. They have three children, twins Amelia and Charlotte, and Harrison.[18]
References
- Friedman, Vanessa (1 October 2017). "The Verdict on Clare Waight Keller's Givenchy". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
- Cartner-Morley, Jess (1 October 2017). "Clare Waight Keller's first Givenchy show is sweetness and light". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
- "Clare Waight Keller". Givenchy. Archived from the original on 17 January 2018.
- Niven, Lisa (24 March 2009). "Clare Waight Keller". Vogue.
- "Clare Waight Keller". Business of Fashion. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
- Milligan, Lauren (11 March 2011). "Pringle Resignation". Vogue.
- Williams, Janice. "Who is Clare Waight Keller? Meghan Markle's Wedding Dress Designed by Givenchy's Creative Director". Newsweek.
- Phelps, Nicole (16 March 2017). "Clare Waight Keller Is Givenchy's New Artistic Director". Vogue.
- Cochrane, Lauren (16 March 2017). "Clare Waight Keller becomes the first female artistic director at Givenchy". The Guardian.
- Friedman, Vanessa (19 May 2018). "Meghan Markle's Wedding Dress by Clare Waight Keller for Givenchy: First Photos". The New York Times.
- Ferrier, Morwenna (1 July 2018). "Clare Waight Keller's second Givenchy couture show celebrates its founder's legacy". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
- "Clare Waight Keller Is Staging Her First Stand-Alone Givenchy Menswear Show—Here's What to Expect". 16 January 2019.
- Salter, Steve; White, Ryan (17 January 2019). "clare waight keller gave us 'perverse posh' menswear at givenchy". I-D. Retrieved 21 January 2019.
- Elan, Priya (10 April 2020). "Clare Waight Keller, Meghan's wedding dress designer, leaves Givenchy". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 April 2020.
- "Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, honors Clare Waight Keller in surprise awards appearance". CNN Style. 11 December 2018. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
- Staff, C. N. N. (11 December 2018). "Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, honors Clare Waight Keller in surprise awards appearance". CNN Style. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
- "Time 100 Most Influential People 2019". Time. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
- Levine, Joshua (28 March 2016). "Designing Beyond Chloé: Inside Clare Waight Keller's Parisian Home". Wall Street Journal.