Riccardo Tisci just ended his 12-year tenure at Givenchy

It’s just been announced that Italian-born designer Riccardo Tisci has left his role as creative director of Givenchy, concluding his 12-year run at the helm of the French label. This means the Fall/Winter 2017 menswear and Spring/Summer 2017 haute couture collections — both recently presented in Paris — were his last designs for Givenchy. Unlike Lanvin, Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Versace, Dior, and Chloé which have all seen the (often surprising) departure of creative directors in the past year or so, Tisci’s exit is the result of his employment contract coming to an end.

Over his 12-year tenure, Tisci breathed new life into Givenchy — a brand that was often associated with the founder’s muse, Audrey Hepburn — and imbued it with a femme fatale aesthetic that was dark, sexy and nonetheless luxurious. His creations attracted the support of A-listers such as Meryl Streep, Cate Blanchett, Madonna and Rooney Mara, who have all been seen wearing his designs at major red carpet events. He also has a loyal relationship with Beyoncé, and has been creating bespoke dresses for the star to wear to the annual Met Gala every year since 2012, in addition to a number of stage costumes for her tours.

Aside from his couture creations, Tisci was also the first designer of a top-tier label to merge creativity and commercial viability by integrating streetwear aesthetics into his ready-to-wear looks, long before the term ‘athleisure’ was even invented. His iconic Rottweiler t-shirt and Madonna-and-child–printed sweatshirts — seen on celebrities including Kanye West, Rihanna, Liv Tyler and others –were so popular that they flew off the shelves as soon as they hit stores.

Though there is no confirmed news regarding where Tisci will be heading next, rumour has it that he will be joining Versace. The designer does have a close friendship with Donatella Versace, whom he invited to star in Givenchy’s ad campaign in 2015, so it’s possible, but for now we’ll just have to wait and see.