Designer of the week is Olivier Theyskens. Born in 1977, Theyskens proved to already be a gifted child. With a sense of detail and the ability to draw, it was no wonder that by the age of 7, Theyskens wanted to be a couturier. He loved to play with clothes and fabrics. At the age of 17, he entered the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Arts Visuels de la Cambre to study fashion design in Brussells. However, this was short lived. Theyskens didn’t want to stay in school because he was ready to start his own brand. By 1997, he officially left school to start the new chapter in his life. Same year, he presented his first collection of feminine, high fashion ready to wear in Belgium. 
This collection was described as gothic extravaganza. His grandmother actually gave him the fabric which was actually bed sheets. Very resourceful and with his determination, I would have seen this coming. If you don’t have the finances for fabric, why not use what you already have. His next collection was featured in Paris during fashion week which rapidly found international coverage. The collection consisted with strong yet dark silhouettes that electrified fashion in the late nineties. By 2002, Theysken packed up his bags and moved to Paris where he would soon be appointed Artistic Director of Rochas. Creating an entirely new silhouette for the house that of course French influenced and elegant. Theysken stayed with Rochas for four years before moving on as Artistic Director at Nina Ricci. According to reports, Rochas parent company Procter & Gamble announced the discontinuation of Rochas Fashion division 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. 
While under Nina Ricci, Theyskens infused the house with his strong suit-stunning evening dresses. Soft and fluid focusing on a younger, more casual level of dressing customer. By 2010, Theyskens moved to New York to join Theory which became Theyskens Theory. Theory has a wide variety of complementary strengths and visionary approaches to contemporary fashion which makes for a perfect combination of Theyskens strengths in his detail work. Theyskens is actually one of the youngest designers to be celebrated by two retrospectives. However, he struggled to keep up. Without financial support, he was forced to close his label. Exiting his brand in June 2014, he showed his final collection Spring/Summer 2015 in September. 
Two years later, Theyskens returned to the fashion world staging his comeback with a newly revived Olivier Theyskens brand. By 2020, he was named artistic director of Azzaro with the responsibility for the brands couture collection, ready to wear lines, and accessories for women and men. Since the COVID period, this collection has become the most memorable collection. Theyskens presented 22 pieces arranged on mannequins. Each piece was hand made that took him a year to create. This was definitely an alternative route by using a selection of old fabric swatches. Many say that the break Theyskens took brought out a different inspiration. A different vision but yet still true to him. He continues to amaze the fashion industry and inspire us all.
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