Olivier Theyskens

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Olivier Theyskens (born January 4, 1977 in Brussels, Belgium) is the artistic director of French fashion house Nina Ricci.

He attended the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Arts Visuels de la Cambre to study fashion design, but dropped out in 1997 to start his own label. Without sufficient financial support, he was forced to close his label. While creating stage costumes for the Theatre de la Monnaie, Theyskens was brought to public attention when one of his dresses was worn by Madonna to the 1998 Academy Awards.

Invited to become the artistic director for Rochas in 2002, Theyskens presented his first collection in March 2003. Before his arrival, Rochas, originally founded in 1925, had discontinued its fashion line. After joining the house in 2002, Theyskens revived the women's fashion division of the venerable French fashion house with his designs that have attracted both an impressive amount of followers and media attention. In July 2006, however, Proctor & Gamble, owner of Maison Rochas, announced the closure of the fashion division of Rochas.

A statement from Parfums Rochas said:

"After four years of support, Parfums Rochas has decided to cease further investment in the fashion house as it does not represent a core business for the company. Rochas fashion is a beautiful brand. However, we must make tough choices on where to focus our resources.”

The announcement left many in the fashion industry stunned, and Theyskens unemployed.

In 2006, the Council of Fashion Designers of America announced that it would award Theyskens the International Award.

As of November 1, 2006 Theyskens has been artistic director at Nina Ricci, with his first line debuting in March 2007.