NYFW: Givenchy shows respectful glamour on 9/11

London - Givenchy's crossing the pond for New York Fashion Week was never going to be a quiet happening. But it wasn't solely the history of September 11 that inspired the French fashion house to make the journey, it happened to be perfect timing to open Givenchy's new boutique on Madison Avenue and to celebrate creative director's Riccardo Tisci's 10 year anniversary at the helm.

Teaming up with conceptual performance artist Marina Abramović, Givenchy chose Pier 26 on the Hudson to construct a set of recycled materials housing its catwalk. The show notes read the set could be constructed and deconstructed without any waste, a respectful nod to the events of 9/11. Incidentally, the venue also offered a clear view of the new Freedom Tower.

"Forgiveness, inclusivity, new life, hope, and above all, love", themes Givenchy

"Forgiveness, inclusivity, new life, hope, and above all, love," were the show themes, which outed itself mostly in black and white monochrome outfits combining elements from the most delicate lingerie and the strongest suiting.

Abramović worked with seven performers during the show, some who stood under a stream of running water and some who stood holding tree branches, as a symbol of “support and life force”.

With hundreds of tickets being given away to fashion students and the general public, this show was also a statement about the force of brands and communities, which in our digital era go beyond the geography of a city or fashion week.

Even though Givenchy has not shown outside of Paris for over 60 years, the sense of place and even history of a brand is no longer tied to streets or an atelier, but to people and design, wrote Dazed.

Those in the audience who had never attended a Givenchy show in Paris felt nostalgia and recognition during the section of the show that was a Tisci couture retrospective. Even if Givenchy doesn't set the fashion tone for the season in terms of trends, this was certainly an event both graceful and memorable - both for its timing on one of the darkest days of American history, but also for its celebration.