Hubert de Givenchy

Hubert James Marcel Taffin de Givenchy (French: [ybɛʁ də ʒivɑ̃ʃi]; 20 February 1927 – 10 March 2018) was a French fashion designer who founded the luxury fashion and perfume house of Givenchy in 1952. He is famous for having designed much of the personal and professional wardrobe of Audrey Hepburn and clothing for Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. He was named to the International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 1970.

Early life

Hubert James Taffin de Givenchy was born on 20 February 1927 in Beauvais, Oise, into a Protestant noble family. He was the younger son of Lucien Taffin de Givenchy, Marquis of Givenchy (1888–1930), and his wife, the former Béatrice ("Sissi") Badin (1888–1976). The Taffin family was ennobled in 1713, at which time the head of the family became Marquis of Givenchy. His elder brother, Jean-Claude de Givenchy (1925–2009), inherited the family's courtesy title of marquis and eventually became the president of Parfums Givenchy. A third sibling, Beatrice, was born in 1928 but died shortly after birth.

After his father's death from influenza in 1930, he was raised by his mother and maternal grandmother, Marguerite Badin (1853–1940, née Dieterle), the widow of Jules Badin (1843–1919), an artist who was the owner and director of the historic Gobelins Manufactory and Beauvais tapestry factories. Artistic professions ran in the extended Badin family. Givenchy's maternal great-grandfather, Jules Dieterle, was a set designer who also created designs for the Beauvais factory, including a set of 13 designs for the Elysée Palace. One of his great-great-grandfathers designed sets for the Paris Opera.

He moved to Paris at the age of 17, and he studied at the École des Beaux-Arts. He stood 6'6" tall.