Olivier Theyskens leaving Theory

Belgian-born designer Olivier Theyskens, who has been at the helm of Theory for the past four years, has announced that he is leaving the contemporary brand to “pursue other design projects”. Theyskens joined Theory in 2010, from Nina Ricci, where he was artistic director for two years, to

design a capsule collection under the Theyskens' Theory line. The contemporary line filled with minimalistic tailoring became an instant hit with fashion editors that he was named the brand’s artistic director in 2011.

However, last season things changed and the Theyskens' Theory was discontinued when the brand decided to consolidate its collections into one, Theory by Olivier Theyskens line, which showcased its first collection for Autumn/Winter 2014 this February. Sources speculated at the time that the switch was due to poor sales of his namesake line, which was priced higher than the mainline Theory collections.

“I am grateful for Olivier’s extraordinary contribution to Theory over the past three and a half years, and I am particularly excited to see what he does next. While he has already accomplished so much, I am confident in the power of his artistic skill and believe his future will be very bright,” Andrew Rosen, Chief Executive Officer of Theory, told WWD.

Olivier Theyskens parts ways with Theory

Theyskens added: “It has been an amazing opportunity to work with Andrew and to benefit from his knowledge in this dynamic segment of fashion. I will always cherish our friendship.”

His final collection for Theory will be pre-spring 2015, which has yet to be unveiled. It is thought that Theory going forward will be designed by the in-house team, much like Helmut Lang, which Rosen also runs, which lost its designers Michael and Nicole Colovos in February and have yet to be replaced.

When Theyskens joined Theory, a mass-produced, commercial brand, from Nina Ricci it was seen a departure for the designer who had made his name as creative director of Rochas and was considered as one of Europe’s most promising designers.

The details of Theyskens new endeavours have yet to be revealed, but there is speculation that the designer may wish to revive his signature brand that he put on hiatus when he joined Rochas in 2003.

Image: Theory AW14