On Monday, Grazia reported Olivier Theyskens was finished as head designer of Nina Ricci. Rumors have been circling for some weeks now about design differences between Theyskens and the heads of Puig Fashion Group, which owns Ricci. The house hasn’t confirmed the rumors, and Theyskens’s contract isn’t up until October, so he could technically present two more collections for the label. But rumors like this don’t surface for no reason. Today, WWD reports Peter Copping is in line to replace Theyskens.
So who is this mysterious Mr. Copping, who could mark the end of Theyskens’s critically lauded two-year tenure? Well, he’s English, currently designs under Marc Jacobs at Louis Vuitton, and likes climbing the Eiffel Tower for exercise. Okay, we made that last part up, but Jacobs did recruit Copping a decade ago for Louis Vuitton, and before that he designed for Sonia Rykiel. Recently rumors surfaced that Puig was eyeing Copping for a design position at Carolina Herrera or Ricci. So if Theyskens is really out, Copping could step into Puig at a higher rung than we thought.
What will become of Theyskens? He did amazing work at Ricci, and Rochas before that. Though editors adored his designs, neither label ever raked in cash with him at the helm. He put his signature line on hold when he took over Rochas in 2003. With his strong celebrity following, returning to that could be a good move. We hope he does, at least.
