I can’t believe the day I finally say this has come – E-boys have transcended social media and are taking over fashion. Whether or not this is a state of emergency or the best thing to ever happen to the industry, there is no denying these clothes were made with trendy, high-flying TikTok influencers in mind. The phenomena which first entered my radar through Hedi Slimane’s Dancing Kid collection in July 2020, has since imploded faster than you can say ‘octanitrocubane’.

The Givenchy Fall 2021 Collection is Every E-Boy’s Wet Dream

Embracing “tradition, the techniques of the salon and timelessness”, Matthew M. Williams‘s vision for Givenchy is confusing at best – with a handful pieces feeding our inner wannabe-sophisticated-and-upper-class fantasies, and others succumbing to the increasingly popular street-goth aesthetic, which social media has played a heavy hand in influencing. Perhaps the collection was meant to appeal to a wider audience or cater to each individual’s multifaceted personalities and styles… but I just don’t dig it or get it to be honest.

Decked-out in flashy metallic accents, Matthew M. Williams eliminates the Maison’s signature elements including, glamorous accessories, refined tailoring and Hubert de Givenchy’s iconic little black dress, to present a series of monochrome tailoring closed with cylindrical gold studs, trench coat shoulders offset by pointed metal hardware, and TPU-infused mule sandals with wanton slabs of silver set atop their toeboxes. Complete with “love lock”-laden bags and jewelry, trim silhouettes, ultra-cropped bomber jackets, and quilted puffer coats, the Givenchy Fall 2021 collection’s otherwise neutral colour palette is emphasised and interrupted through splashes of vibrant red, pink and olive shades.

Unsurprisingly, Matthew M. Williams conceptualized the Givenchy Fall 2021 collection as a reflection of today’s world, where “clothing is not disposable or dictatorial, (and) instead…central to a person’s sense of their own style, (and).. season. It’s an idea of a more personal luxury, of simultaneous formality and informality, construction and comfort; it’s the luxury of people wearing clothes, not clothes wearing people.”

Undeniably ticking all the boxes for great craftsmanship and ideas, the Givenchy Fall 2021 collection appears to feature looks from what should’ve been two separate lines. Not to mention, who on earth wants to be seen walking around in public, amidst the world’s most devastating pandemic, wearing a blinding diamond bag strap.