PARIS — Lars Nilsson is leaving Nina Ricci, WWD has learned.
The Swedish-born designer, who showed his first collection for the French house in October 2003, said Tuesday he resigned for “personal reasons” and hinted he has a new project in the works in the U.S.
“It’s been a really great experience,” he said, stressing he left on good terms with Ricci management. “But I decided to pursue other things.”
Nilsson’s departure is bound to fuel speculation the design reins could be picked up by Olivier Theyskens, who is out of a job following last month’s decision by Procter & Gamble to shutter the Rochas fashion house.
Ricci’s general manager, Christophe Hebre, joined the firm in October from Rochas, where he had been instrumental in recruiting Theyskens. Also, eyebrows were raised in March when Mario Grauso, president of the Puig Fashion Group, which includes Carolina Herrera and Paco Rabanne, was spotted in the second row at the Rochas show. At the time, Grauso demurred: “Olivier’s a friend. He asked me to come to his show. I admire his work.”
On Tuesday, Grauso declined to comment on the speculation.
Instead, he lauded Nilsson as a “great match” for Ricci and credited him with helping to define the brand’s ultrafeminine image with his delicate, airy dresses and Franco-preppy sportswear.
“We’re sad to lose him. He’s a very talented young man and we really enjoyed working with him,” said Grauso. “We really wish him well.”
Nilsson’s departure means Ricci will not stage a fashion show come Paris Fashion Week in October, Grauso confirmed. However, a spring collection will be presented to buyers and press, done by the team Nilsson leaves behind, which includes studio director Vanessa Bellanger, an alumna of Polo Ralph Lauren and John Galliano.
Grauso said the company ultimately plans to name a new designer, but “we’re going to let the team do this season and see how it goes.”
While Nilsson’s collection sometimes garnered mixed reviews, Ricci sales have been growing “rapidly” under his design tenure, Grauso said. Puig fragrance executives recently lauded Ricci’s fashion momentum as it launched Nina, a scent in an apple-shaped flacon meant to appeal to a younger demographic.
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Ricci’s pre-spring collection — inspired by the sensual atmosphere in Ingmar Bergman’s 1955 film “Smiles of a Summer Night” — will be the last by Nilsson. The designer recently took the fall 2006 Ricci collection on the road, mounting shows and doing personal appearances in Madrid, Berlin, Los Angeles, Tokyo and New York, where he continued to be a fixture on the social scene.
Nilsson landed at Ricci only two months after he was let go from Bill Blass, where he established strong relationships with the retail and magazine establishment. He had moved to New York in 1999 to work as women’s design director at Ralph Lauren.
Before that, Nilsson worked behind the scenes at Christian Dior and Christian Lacroix here. An affable, bespectacled man with a natty dress sense, Nilsson returned to his native Sweden last week to receive the Golden Button award, the country’s top fashion prize.
Meanwhile, Nilsson’s departure at Ricci isn’t the only change brewing at the Barcelona-based fashion and beauty conglomerate. As reported, Puig is restructuring at Rabanne and winding down its high-cost Paris fashion operations, while retaining New York-based design director Patrick Robinson.