Designer Riccardo Tisci: 'I got killed' for friendship with Kim Kardashian

Known for her array of unique red carpet looks, Kim Kardashian didn't always have it easy when it came to being one of fashion's most coveted stars. Riccardo Tisci, the creative director for Givenchy, recently came out to defend his friendship with the reality-TV star and how she struggled to make a name in the high-end fashion world.

Kim and Riccardo posed together at a recent event in France Photo: Getty Images

The acclaimed designer told Details magazine that Kim was accepted "by nobody" in the fashion community when they first became friends.

"In the beginning, I met her because of my respect for Kanye, and then I liked her a lot and we became friends," he said. "I got killed because of this. But I didn't care. That is a friend, you see."

The designer shared a laugh with Kim, Kanye and their daughter North Photo: Getty Images

His designs for Kim caught the most attention when she donned a tight, full-body floral print gown complete with gloves to the Met Gala in 2013 when she was heavily pregnant. Many critics bashed the look, but Tisci stood by it. "I think she looked amazing," he told Women's Wear Daily at the time. "She was the most beautiful pregnant woman I dressed in my career."

The reality star's 2013 Met Gala outfit drummed up a lot of publicity Photo: Getty Images

Despite the backlash from his counterparts of his friendship with Kim, the designer admits he and Kanye worked together to make the 34-year-old a fashion icon. "Look at Kanye and Kim — at the beginning, I was the only one," he told Details. "And Kanye and me, we did it together. Every designer is dying to dress her now."

Kim and Kanye called upon their friend and Givenchy designer Riccardo to create a one-of-a-kind wedding gown Photo: Instagram

The Keeping up with the Kardashians star and her rapper husband have stood by the designer as well. The famous pair asked him to create the mother-of-one's wedding gown when they married in Italy last May. "When they got married, they asked me to dress them," Tisci adds. "They say, 'You've always been with us. You've been a real friend.' If they're my friends, I respect them to the end."

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