Ahead of her debut collection for Givenchy, newly appointed artistic director Clare Waight Keller has released a teaser film.

While delving into the house’s iconic archives, Waight Keller discovered a 1953 collection of silk prints created by Hubert de Givenchy devoted to a particular feline with piercing orange eyes. Discovering this shared love of animals between the house’s founder and herself, Waight Keller’s debut campaign places our furry, four-legged friends at the forefront of the imagery – Givenchy-branded cat collars included.

Shot by Steven Meisel in a private manor house in New York City, this new video release sees Waight Keller introduce us to a cast of faces who define the designer’s vision for the house, Saffron Vadher, Meghan, Roche Elias Bouremah and Kolton Bowen, alongside a few feline companions: Purrkins, Maurice, Raggedy-ann, Dr Hackenpuss and Uncle Pitty-Pat.

GIVENCHY SS18 TEASER - HERO from HERO magazine on Vimeo.

“I love the idea of a woman with a feline air,” says Waight Keller. “A person may seem slightly reserved, but they have that serene, straightforward gaze. They’re seductive. You want to meet them, know more about them, and be like them. I wanted to play with that modern attitude and expression because I feel like it’s an apt metaphor for Givenchy’s current evolution.”

Having taken over from Riccardo Tisci in March this year, the former Chloé designer is set to present her debut collection for Givenchy on 1st October during PFW, showing both menswear and womenswear.