Born in Italy, Nina Ricci (Maria Nielli) (1883-1970) moved to France in her early teens, where she became an apprentice dressmaker and went on to design for various houses. It wasn’t until she was almost 50 that she set up the house of Ricci in Paris in 1932, supported by son Richard, who went on to manage and inherit the business.

Nina Ricci retired from designing in the early 1950s when she was in her 70’s. Jules Francois Crahay was made the head designer for the label in 1954. When he left to go to Lanvin in 1963, he was soon replaced by Gerard Pipart, who designed the collection until 1998 when the company was sold.

The design house continues to serve wealthy customers to this day, maintaining its reputation for classic designs. Lars Nilsson designed the collection in the mid-2000s. In 2006 Olivier Theyskens became head designer at Nina Ricci. As of spring 2010 the designer was Peter Copping.