Olivier Theyskens

Olivier Theyskens
Born (1977-01-04) January 4, 1977 (age 48)
Brussels, Belgium
Labels
AwardsCFDA International Award

Olivier Theyskens (Dutch pronunciation: [oːliviˌjeː ˈtɛiskəns]; born January 4, 1977) 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]

Olivier Theyskens, 2016–present

In 2016, Theyskens debuted his first collection under his own name for more than a decade. The brand was entirely self-funded.[24]

Azzaro, 2020–present

In 2020, Theyskens was named artistic director of Azzaro, with responsibility for the brand’s couture collections, ready-to-wear lines, and accessories for women and men; he succeeded Maxime Simoëns.[25][26]

Recognition

In 2010, Assouline Publishing released a retrospective look at Theysken’s work, “The Other Side of the Picture,” which was the culmination of a 10-year collaboration with art photographer Julien Claessens.[15]

Theyskens' creations have been worn by Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett, Reese Witherspoon, Emma Watson, Diane Kruger, Greta Gerwig, Felicity Jones, Jennifer Aniston, Mylene Farmer, Bella Hadid and Kirsten Dunst.[20][6][15]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Olivier Theyskens is part of the BoF 500". The Business of Fashion. Retrieved 2021-02-05.
  2. ^ a b Ashley Senft (April 10, 2011). "Oliveir Theyskens". Fashion In Time. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  3. ^ "The fashion industry is "saturated" says Olivier Theyskens". DeZeen Magazine. January 30, 2015. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  4. ^ a b "Olivier Theyskens". The Museum at FIT. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  5. ^ Andre Leon Talley (February 24, 2012). "Andre Leon Talley on the Best Oscar Dresses of All Time". Vogue. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  6. ^ a b c d Hirschberg, Lynn (2006-08-06). "Is There A Place for Olivier Theyskens?". New York Times.
  7. ^ Nicole Phelps, Laird Borrelli Persson (August 31, 2015). "The 25 Most Unforgettable Runway Shows of the '90s, as Ranked by the Editors of Vogue.com". Vogue. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  8. ^ "Fall 2000 Ready-to-Wear Olivier Theyskens". Vogue. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  9. ^ "Olivier Theyskens Venus Fashion". Liberation. March 7, 2000. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  10. ^ "Fall 2001 Ready-to-Wear Olivier Theyskens". Vogue. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  11. ^ "Olivier Theyskens". Vogue. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  12. ^ Suzy Menkes (January 21, 2003). "Fragile elegance from Theyskens". The New York Times. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  13. ^ Lisa Martinez. "22nd Annual Night of Stars". Splash Magazine. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  14. ^ Eric Wilson (July 19, 2006). "Procter & Gamble Plans to Close Its Rochas Fashion Label". The New York Times. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  15. ^ a b c "The Other Side of Olivier Theyskens". Dazed Digital. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  16. ^ a b Scarlett Kilcooley-O'Halloran (June 17, 2014). "Theyskens Departs Theory". Vogue. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  17. ^ Dena Silver (June 17, 2014). "Olivier Theyskens Leaves Theory: Insiders Weigh In". Fashion Week Daily. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  18. ^ Veronique Hyland (October 13, 2014). "Everything You Need to Know About Peter Copping, the New Designer of Oscar de la Renta". NY Magazine. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  19. ^ Jo Ellison (September 29, 2016), The return of Olivier Theyskens Financial Times.
  20. ^ a b Stephanie Chan (June 16, 2014). "Olivier Theyskens is Leaving Theory". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  21. ^ Vanessa Friedman (June 16, 2014). "What Olivier Theyskens's Departure From Theory May Really Mean". The New York Times. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  22. ^ Veronique Hyland (June 16, 2014). "Olivier Theyskens to Leave Theory". NYMag. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  23. ^ Hilary Moss (June 17, 2014). "Somebody Give Olivier Theyskens A Couture House, Please". Refinery29. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  24. ^ Jo Ellison (September 29, 2016), The return of Olivier Theyskens Financial Times.
  25. ^ Jennifer Weil and Miles Socha (February 5, 2020), EXCLUSIVE: Azzaro Taps Olivier Theyskens as Artistic Director Women's Wear Daily.
  26. ^ Kristen Bateman (February 27, 2020), In the Studio With Olivier Theyskens W.