Nina Ricci’s talented designer, Lars Nilsson (pictured left with Kate Beckinsale) , has left the fashion house for “personal reasons†after returning to Sweden to collect the Golden Button award for fashion.
After three years (or five seasons) with the label, Nilsson is leaving to “pursue other things.” But the departure is a amicable one with Mario Grauso, president of its parent company Puig Fashion Group admitted it would miss Nilsson. “We’re sad to lose him. He’s a very talented young man and we really enjoyed working with him. We really wish him well.”
The pre-spring collection will be Nilsson’s last for Nina Ricci, while according to WWD, the departure of Nilsson means that Nina Ricci will not put on a show at Paris Fashion Week in October – though the design team he leaves behind will present a spring/summer 2007 collection to buyers and press.
It is rumoured that Olivier Theyskens will replace him at Nina Ricci as Creative Director after the Belgium designer found himself jobless when Rochas closed.
No word on what Nilsson will be doing now, but with a resume that includes positions at Bill Blass, Christian Dior and Christian Lacroix, he shouldn’t have a problem finding a new job – after all there is more than a few positions still unaccounted for – like the one at Chloe.
