Hollywood as a Marketing Tool for Fashion Brands: Audrey Hepburn with Givenchy in Cinema
Keywords:
audrey hepburn, celebrity endorsement, givenchyAbstract
The relationship between fashion and cinema has long influenced how luxury brands communicate with audiences and establish cultural significance. Through film, fashion can reach consumers beyond traditional marketing channels, allowing garments, styles, and brand identities to become part of popular culture. One of the most notable examples of this relationship is the collaboration between Audrey Hepburn and Hubert de Givenchy between 1954 and 1961. This study aims to examine how Hollywood functioned as a marketing tool for fashion brands through this collaboration. Previous studies have demonstrated that film, celebrity culture, and fashion communication contribute to audience engagement and brand recognition. However, existing research has rarely examined how these elements worked together to support fashion marketing and long-term brand development. To address this gap, this study integrates celebrity endorsement theory and the meaning transfer model to analyze Hollywood’s role in promoting and strengthening fashion brands. Using a qualitative approach based on secondary data, this study analyzes the films Sabrina (1954), Funny Face (1957), and Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961), as well as the commercialization of Givenchy’s fragrance L’Interdit. The findings show that Hollywood served as a global marketing and communication platform that increased Givenchy’s visibility, accelerated the spread of fashion trends, and supported brand growth through celebrity endorsement, symbolic meaning transfer, and brand extension. The study concludes that Hollywood functioned as a powerful marketing tool that contributed to the development and expansion of luxury fashion brands.
References
Alatas, V., Chandrasekhar, A. G., Mobius, M., Olken, B. A., & Paladines, C. (2019). When Celebrities Speak: A Nationwide Twitter Experiment Promoting Vaccination in Indonesia. https://doi.org/10.3386/w25589
Beghin, C. (2023). Hubert de Givenchy : ses plus beaux costumes au cinéma. https://www.vogue.fr/culture/article/hubert-de-givenchy-costumes-films
Butchart, A. (2016). The Fashion of Film: How Cinema has Inspired Fashion. Hachette UK. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=mIgDDAAAQBAJ&lpg=PA1&pg=PA7#v=onepage&q&f=false
Castellani, P. (2020). 1957, L’Interdit de Givenchy. https://madame.lefigaro.fr/beaute/1957-linterdit-de-givenchy-170812-273830
Cerini, M. (2020). Remember when Audrey Hepburn defined elegance in a little black dress? https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/audrey-hepburn-little-black-dress-remember-when
Chilton, C., & Wecker, J. (2025). The 60 Most Iconic Movie Dresses of All Time. https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/film-tv/g65667962/best-movie-dresses-of-all-time/
Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. SAGE. https://collegepublishing.sagepub.com/products/research-design-4-237357
De Blanche, J. (2014). Sabrina (1954). https://www.catwalkyourself.com/fashion-films/sabrina/
Erdogan, B. Z. (1999). Celebrity Endorsement: A Literature Review. Journal of Marketing Management, 15(4), 291–314. https://doi.org/10.1362/026725799784870379
Evans, C., & Parikka, J. (2020). Introduction: Touch, Click and Motion: Archaeologies of Fashion Film after Digital Culture. Journal of Visual Culture, 19(3), 323–339. https://doi.org/10.1177/1470412920966015
Ferrer, S. H. (2005). Audrey Hepburn, An Elegant Spirit. Simon and Schuster. https://books.google.co.id/books?id=Xn8wjtoVspQC&lpg=PA1823&pg=PA1823#v=onepage&q&f=false
Gutner, H. (2021). Gowns by Adrian: The MGM Years 1928-1941. Harry N. Abrams. https://archive.org/details/gownsbyadrianmgm0000gutn
Hellstern, M. (2005). How to be Lovely: The Audrey Hepburn Way of Life. Pavilion Books.
Hoo, F. S. (2021). Can an Actor’s Fashion Contract Influence the Costumes in Their Films? https://fashionista.com/2021/12/fashion-house-muses-films-costume-design
Keller, K. L. (2013). Strategic Brand Management: Building, Measuring, and Managing Brand Equity. Pearson Education. https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/kevin-lane-kellerstrategic-brand-managementpdf/261165880
Landis, D. N. (2007). Dressed: A Century of Hollywood Costume Design. HarperCollins. https://archive.org/details/dressedcenturyof0000land_s3z5/page/n5
LVMH. (2023). Givenchy Parfums. https://www.lvmh.com/en/our-maisons/perfumes-cosmetics/givenchy-parfums
McCracken, G. (1989). Who Is The Celebrity Endorser? Cultural Foundations of the Endorsement Process. Journal of Consumer Research, 16(3), 310–321. https://doi.org/10.1086/209217
Rambharose, A., & Camacho, N. A. (2026). 12 Audrey Hepburn Fashion Moments That Will Always Be Classic. https://www.instyle.com/audrey-hepburn-iconic-outfits-11875108
Ramzi, L. (2018). Hubert de Givenchy and Audrey Hepburn’s Enduring Fashion Partnership. https://www.vogue.com/article/hubert-de-givenchy-audrey-hepburn-fashion
Reinke, K. (2020). For the Love of Givenchy. https://www.barnebys.com/blog/for-the-love-of-givenchy
Roff, C. (2011). Hubert de Givenchy Biography. https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/hubert-de-givenchy-biography
Tian, S., Tao, W., Hong, C., & Tsai, W. S. (2021). Meaning Transfer in Celebrity Endorsement and Cobranding: Meaning Valence, Association Type, and Brand Awareness. International Journal of Advertising, 0(0), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2021.1940059
Uhlirova, M. (2020). Excavating Fashion Film: A Media Archaeological Perspective. Journal of Visual Culture, 19(3), 340–361. https://doi.org/10.1177/1470412920964915
Wong, V. C., Fock, H., & Ho, C. K. Y. (2020). Toward a Process-Transfer Model of the Endorser Effect. Journal of Marketing Research, 57(3), 565–581. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022243720910453
