Sarah Burton has been announced as the new creative director of Givenchy . The British designer is best known for creating the Princess of Wales’s wedding dress and Pippa Middleton’s maid of honour dress for the 2011 royal wedding. Burton succeeds Matthew Williams, who stepped down from Givenchy as creative director in January after three years in the role, leaving the house’s studio team to lead design in the interim period.
“It is a great honor to be joining the beautiful house of Givenchy, it is a jewel,” Burton said in a statement about her appointment at the helm of the LVMH-owned French fashion house. “I am so excited to be able to write the next chapter in the story of this iconic house and to bring to Givenchy my own vision, sensibility and beliefs.” The fashion star – who spent 26 at British fashion label Alexander McQueen – is following in the footsteps of Alexander ‘Lee’ McQueen, who designed for Givenchy from 1996 to 2001.
Burton joined Alexander McQueen in 1997 and quickly became head of womenswear in 2000. Following McQueen’s death in February 2010, Burton was announced the new creative director of the brand. Burton’s first collection received critical acclaim and during her tenure she dressed many A-list celebrities, including Lady Gaga, Michelle Obama, Cate Blanchett and Beyonce.
The designer’s most notable fashion moment came when she designed an ivory gown with lace applique floral detail for Kate Middleton to wear on her wedding day in 2011. She also designed Kate’s maid of honour’s dress, worn by her sister, Pippa Middleton, which had capped sleeves and a scooped neckline. Burton has remained the princess’s designer of choice for significant events, including the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in 2018, Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in 2022 and the King’s coronation in May 2023.
Middleton’s go-to dressmaker was named Designer of the Year at the British Fashion Awards in 2011, and was awarded an OBE in 2012 for her services to the fashion industry. Her collections at Alexander McQueen were praised for their expressions of femininity, hope and renewal explored through precise tailoring. Often inspired by the Victorian era and nature, the British designer’s final shows featured theatrical experimentation alongside methodical patterning and embroidery.
Burton’s move to Givenchy makes Burton one of the few female designers to hold the creative director title at a major fashion house – with her peers including Stella McCartney and Maria Grazia Chiuri at Dior. She’s the second woman to take the top job at Givenchy, following in the footsteps of Clare Waight Keller – who held the role between 2017 and 2020, during which time she designed the Duchess of Sussex’s wedding dress. Her debut for the French fashion house will be for its autumn/winter 2025 collection at Paris Fashion Week in March.
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