It’s been about six months since Guillaume Henry left Nina Ricci, following a three and a half-year stint as the brand’s creative director. According to WWD, the decision was a result of Henry’s frustration at the lack of financial investment from the brand’s parent company, Puig. The label has since been helmed by an in-house designer team. But today, the 86-year-old French house has beckoned in a new era in its history, announcing Dutch couple and design duo Rushemy Botter and Lisi Herrebrugh as artist directors.
The pair, who this year have reached the final of the LVMH Prize and won the Première Vision Grand Prize at Hyères Festival, were chosen to inject “a big dose of coolness” into Nina Ricci. Speaking to WWD, Puig’s president of brands, markets and operations went on to praise their unique vision and revolutionary design skills.
Their menswear brand, Botter, has a playful, vibrant and modern feel that would sit comfortably on the LFWM schedule: Ashley Williams and Liam Hodges meets Balenciaga. So we can’t wait to see what the duo do with Nina Ricci. Relocating from Antwerp to Paris in September, they’ll show their first collection for pre-fall 19, and hit the runways formally for autumn/winter 19.