Nina Ricci

Nina Ricci, born Maria Nielli in Turin - Italy in 1883, married jeweler Luigi Ricci in 1904, thus becoming Maria Ricci. She was a fashion designer who founded her own design house along with her son, Robert, in Paris, in 1932.

At the age of 13, Nina Ricci worked as an apprentice in a dressmaker's shop. She then worked as a designer for the fashion house Raffin for 20 years, became a partner in the business, and founded her own design house in 1932 at the age of fifty.

Nina Ricci designs are known for being romantic, soft and extremely feminine. Her dresses are elegant and refined.

In 1954, Belgian designer Jules-Francois Crahay became the head designer, while Ricci oversaw the line. Upon her death in 1970, Crahay became the head of the house. The designers that followed were Massimo Guissain, Nathalie Gervais, James Aguiar, and Lars Nilsson. The current head designer is Olivier Theyskens of Rochas fame.