Olivier Theyskens

Olivier Theyskens
Olivier Theyskens
Born	January 4, 1977 (age 47); Brussels, Belgium
Nationality	Belgian
Labels	Nina Ricci,; Rochas,; Theory;
Awards	CFDA International Award

Olivier Theyskens (Dutch pronunciation: [ˌɔlɪviər ˈtɛiskəns]; born January 4, 1977, in Brussels, Belgium) is a Belgian fashion designer who has worked with major design houses, including Rochas, Nina Ricci and Theory.

Early life

Theyskens was born to a Belgian chemical engineer and a French homemaker. Theyskens attended École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Visuels de la Cambre in October 1994 to study fashion design.^[1] He dropped out in 1997 to start his own label.^[2]^[3]

Career

Early beginnings

Theyskens submitted pieces from his collection, “Gloomy Trips” to a Belgian group show. Stylist Arianne Phillips saw photographs of his works and dressed Madonna in one of Theyskens’ black satin coatdresses for the 1998 Academy Awards.^[4] André Leon Talley listed the dress as one of his favorite Oscar dresses of all time.^[5]

Theyskens presented his first full collection in Paris in 1998.^[6] The collection was a deconstruction of eighteenth-century style that reworked traditional French fabrics.^[4] His spring 1999 collection was featured on Vogue’s list of “25 Most Unforgettable Runway Shows of the ‘90s.”^[7] By fall 2000, Vogue reported that “Theyskens has established himself as one of the most powerful creative personalities in fashion.”^[8] That same year, he won the Venus de la Mode award.^[9] The collection he presented in Fall 2001 “was undoubtedly one of the strongest, most brilliant collections of the season” according to Vogue.^[10] Theyskens' line continued until 2002.^[11]

Rochas, 2002–2010

Theyskens became creative director of Rochas in 2002 and presented his first collection for the House of Rochas in 2003^[1] where he created an "entirely new silhouette for the house" that was French-influenced and elegant. In 2003, Theyskens designed costumes for Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie^[2] including costumes for Verdi's opera I due Foscari.^[12] Theyskens received the Star Award by the Fashion Group International at its 22nd Annual Night of Stars Gala in 2005.^[13]

In July 2006, Rochas' parent company Procter & Gamble announced the discontinuation of Rochas' fashion division^[6] because it was the only fashion business in the company and Procter & Gamble did not have the resources or skills to continue production of ready-to-wear fashion.^[14] In 2006, the Council of Fashion Designers of America awarded Theyskens the International Award.^[6]^[15]

Nina Ricci, 2006–2010

In November 2006, Theyskens became artistic director at Nina Ricci^[1] where his focus shifted to a younger, more casual level of dressing. His collections for the House of Nina Ricci were met with critical acclaim.^[16]^[17]

In fall 2009, Theyskens left Nina Ricci and was replaced by Peter Copping, formerly design director of Louis Vuitton.^[18]

Theory, 2010–2014

Theory CEO Andrew Rosen tapped Theyskens to design a capsule collection for Theory in spring 2010.^[19] Theyskens was named artistic director of the company in October 2010. In June 2014, he left Theory to pursue other design projects.^[20]^[16]^[21] His last collection for Theory was pre-spring 2015.^[22]^[23]