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Meet Suzi de Givenchy, the Hong Kong-born Parisian model over 50: she married the heir to the fashion house and now walks alongside Gigi Hadid, Naomi Campbell and Cindy Crawford
- She married Hubert de Givenchy, the nephew of the luxury brand’s founder, and has three sons, but is now a widow based in Paris where she was scouted by Next Model Management
- The some-50-year-old has since appeared on Vogue covers and runway shows for Off-White, has worked with Demna Gvasalia for Balenciaga, and hopes to challenge typical beauty standards
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Find out more about Hong Kong-born Suzi de Givenchy, who became a fashion model as she was approaching 50. Photos: @wei.feng.lifestyle, @suzi.de.g/Instagram
It’s never too late to try something new – and that’s certainly the case for Suzi de Givenchy. Born in Hong Kong and raised in New York before settling down in Paris, the some-50-year-old went from being a widowed mother of three to a model gracing international runways for fashion houses like Off-White and Balenciaga. She’s since appeared on magazine covers, editorials and runways, defying typical beauty standards of fashion models.
So just how did de Givenchy become a Parisienne model?
She married into the Givenchy family
Suzi de Givenchy with her late husband, Hubert. Photo: Handout
Born in Hong Kong, de Givenchy moved with her parents to the United States at the age of four before settling in Paris, where she initially went to celebrate her 20th birthday. It was there that she met her late husband Hubert, the nephew of the brand originator, according to Vogue Paris.
They fell in love and stayed in Paris, and had three sons together before he passed away five years ago of a heart attack.
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Her encounter with modelling was unexpected
Suzi de Givenchy was born in Hong Kong, moved to the US and settled in Paris. Photo: @ssawmag/Instagram
After her husband’s death, de Givenchy was left feeling lonely after losing the love of her life. In an interview with Vogue Paris, she said, “First out of love for a man, and now out of love for the European way of life. I am now a widow, but have still lived in France for over 30 years, I have three grown boys and an accent I can’t get rid of.”
Suzi de Givenchy has been featured in several magazines. Photo: @suzi.de.g/Instagram
Her unexpected modelling career came when she went out for dinner with some friends, according to Vogue Paris. During her meal, she met Versae Vanni, a scout at Next Model Management. While Vanni convinced de Givenchy to work for him, she jokingly made a remark about her age and said that he would be crazy to hire her, as she was almost 50 years old. But after careful consideration, she made the decision to sign with the agency and kick start her career in modelling.
She’s walked for numerous fashion houses
Suzi de Givenchy walking for Off-White’s spring/summer collection in 2020. Photo: @suzi.de.g/Instagram
Soon after signing with Next Model Management, she made her modelling debut on the Off-White runway for the brand’s spring/summer collection in 2020. In an interview with Vogue France, she shared that she took a runway course and talked about how she was walking a lot slower than normal in fear of losing her shoes.
Since her debut, Givenchy has been a hot topic in the fashion world and kept busy with her packed schedule. Aside from walking down the runway for renowned fashion houses, she’s also appeared in Vogue China and Vogue Hong Kong.
Suzi de Givenchy recently walked for Off-White’s newest collection. Photo: @off____white/Instagram
Recently, she made an appearance at Off-White’s autumn/winter 2022 runway show in Paris, alongside other famous supermodels like the Hadid sisters, Naomi Campbell and Cindy Crawford.
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She breaks boundaries and modelling rules
Suzi de Givenchy defies the fashion world as a 50-year-old model. Photo: @suzi.de.g/Instagram
While the modelling industry is viciously competitive and has unspoken rules about “retiring” when reaching 30 years old, de Givenchy’s presence challenges those expectations, not only because of her age, but also her appearance. During her interview with Vogue France, she shared that she wants to go against the normalisation of Asian beauty standards, saying, “I don’t have very white skin, spots on my face like many Asians, so I would like to break this ‘rule’.”
Suzi de Givenchy for Balenciaga’s 2022 pre-autumn collection. Photo: @thewowmag/Instagram
Reflecting on her encounter with Vanni, she told Vogue France that he said to her, “You don’t see it, but you’re going to change things.” With that determined confession from Vanni, de Givenchy was convinced that she should pursue modelling as a new challenge in her life, thus pushing her to join the modelling agency.
Her career in modelling gained a deeper meaning
Suzi de Givenchy posing for Balenciaga’s autumn/winter 2021 collection. Photo: Balenciaga
De Givenchy may have started her modelling career just to try something new, but it’s gained deeper meaning since. After working with Off-White in 2020, she started working together with Demna Gvasalia for Balenciaga. She felt that the opportunity to work together with Gvasalia was a “sentimental affair”, as her husband’s uncle, also named Hubert, started his career at Balenciaga.
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Suzi de Givenchy hopes to become an inspiration in her own way. Photo: @suzi.de.g/Instagram
With self-awareness about how unlikely that someone of her age could get into the modelling world and grow to become so successful in a short amount of time, de Givenchy said she hopes to become an inspiration in her own way. In her interview with Vogue France, she commented that she wants to show that “life can change direction at any age and any time, that you can overcome difficult times”, and most importantly, “never forget to breathe and enjoy, because life is short”.
