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
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
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.
Her encounter with modelling was unexpected
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.”
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
