Olivier Theyskens

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

He attended the École 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 Théâtre de la Monnaie, Theyskens was brought to public attention when one of his dresses was worn by Madonna to the 1998 Academy Awards.

Rochas selected Olivier Theyskens as its creative director in 2002. Theyskens, within his first few months, created an "entirely new silhouette for the house" that was French-influenced and elegant. His first full collection, for Fall 2003, was praised by style.com as "ravishing" and "nothing short of magnificent."

For the next several years, Rochas continued to garner praise among fashion critics and to attract loyal followers. Rochas clients included Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Aniston, Kirsten Dunst, Kate Bosworth, Jennifer Lopez, Rachel Weisz and Sarah Jessica Parker. In 2006, the Council of Fashion Designers of America awarded Theyskens the International Award. However, Theyskens' focus on "demicouture" (special pieces too costly to mass-produce but which may not have met the strict couture rules about hand-stitching and numbers of fitting) was questioned by fashion insiders as a viable business strategy. His gowns, some of which were priced upwards of $20,000, were often out of reach for all but the most fabulously wealthy. Theyskens took a purer approach to fashion and did not rely, like many fashion houses, on accessory sales and cheaper sister lines for a steady stream of revenue.


In July 2006, Proctor & Gamble (Rochas's owner) announced the discontinuation of Rochas's fashion division, shocking many in the fashion industry. One "long-time designer," commenting anonymously in the New York Times, said of the closure, "That sort of perfect, made-to-measure business can't exist today, which is really too bad. Everything is about business now, and fashion shouldn't have to follow normal economic models -- that's not the point. What happened to investing in beauty?"

On November 1, 2006 Theyskens became artistic director at Nina Ricci , and his first line debuted in March 2007.

Source: Wikipedia.org