Olivier Theyskens

Olivier Theyskens ( born January 4, 1977 in Brussels) is a Belgian fashion designer.

Life

Theyskens says of himself that he wanted to be a fashion designer and the age of seven began with 18 years at the École nationale supérieure des arts visuels in Brussels to study. His studies, however, he gave up after two years and instead launched his own fashion label in 1997 in Paris. The first drafts that had been cut from the collected bedsheets his grandmother and took up influences from the gothic scene, he did not want to sell. However, the singer Madonna became aware of Theyskens and wore at the Academy Awards in March 1998, a dark evening gown from his collection, and in October of the same year a canary yellow ball gown to the VH1 Fashion Awards, which Theyskens brought immense publicity.

By 2001, created Theyskens, who had little interest in the commercial side of the fashion business, collections under his own name and it showed at the Paris fashion weeks. Then he lost - even during the economic downturn after 9/ 11 - the financial support of a French investor and his company had to close in early 2002. For a short time he created theater costumes for the Brussels opera house.

As chief designer Theyskens was from 2002 to 2006 worked for women's fashions from Rochas in Paris, after they had been looking at Rochas a designer who would rejuvenate the collections. For his work at Rochas, he was honored in 2006 by the Council of Fashion Designers of America ( CFDA ) with the International Award. The experts of the highly acclaimed designs were, however, commercially, amongst other reasons, sometimes by extremely high selling prices due to haute couture -like processing, not very successful. Therefore in 2006 ended the owner of Rochas, Procter & Gamble, working with Theyskens and closed the fashion division of Rochas.

Yet in November 2006 moved Theyskens for French fashion house Nina Ricci, where he worked as head designer until 2009. Here, too, praised the press his designs; a significant increase in sales figures, however, did not materialize. In March 2009, Theyskens was dismissed by the owner of Nina Ricci, the Spanish perfume and fashion group Puig prematurely. Critics accused Theyskens that he too stiffened on quality and therefore high-priced details in his fashion and little interest in commercially profitable elements such as had accessories.

2010 invited the CEO of the American- Japanese fashion company Theory Theyskens one at a co- collection for women called Theyskens 's Theory. The collection turned out to be so successful that Theyskens for Theory was hired in November 2011 as the Artistic Director for the entire Ladies and Gentlemen Collections of Theory as well as chief designer of Theyskens 's Theory Ladies line.

In 2011, the CFDA Theyskens to the ranks of its members.

Prizes and Awards (selection)

• 2006: International Award of the Council of Fashion Designers of America