NINA RICCI
While I was shopping at CENTRAL for perfumes, I came across a beautiful range of fragrances by Nina Ricci. Having heard of her name in the history class, it excited me to know more about her story and the developement of the brand. It is said that it takes a certain kind of women to wear vintage NINA RICCI. So, for this blog I thought of exploring Nina Ricci as a brand and how did it start.
Maria Nielli became Nina Ricci upon arrival in Paris when she combined her nickname with her husband’s last name. Her Haute Couture house was founded in 1932, at 20 Rue de Capucines in Paris, complete with the design atelier and salons for fittings. Her technique, cuts, balance and materials conferred striking simplicity on the Nina Ricci woman.
COUNTRY: FRANCE
MAIN ACTIVITY: FASHION
PARENT COMPANY: PUIG
Nina Ricci is a fashion house founded by Maria “Nina” Ricci and her son Robert in Paris in 1932, and owned by the Spanish beauty and fashion group Puig since 1998.
HISTORY:
Nina Ricci opened her haute couture house in 1932. She designed gowns while her son Robert Ricci managed the business and finances. She worked with the fabrics directly on the mannequin to ensure they had shape once they were finished. Nina Ricci designs soon became known for the refined, romantic, always feminine feeling Maria adds to all of her collections.
In 1946,Nina Ricci’s first fragrance, Coeur Joie was launched.
In 1948, Robert came up with another fragrance, L’Air du Temps, the brand’s most popular fragrance, which continues to be a top seller today. It is still in production today and remains the company’s best seller.
By the early 1950's, Nina Ricci was nearing 70 and she slowly ceased to take an active role in design, choosing to just keep an eye on the house. Her son chose the new head designer in 1954, the Belgian Crahay. The designs of Crahay were highly praised.
In the early 1960's, a couturier from Melbourne Australia, Elvie Hill, secured a contract to reproduce Nina Ricci for the local Australian market.This proved to be a short lived partnership as Australian women struggled to fit into the petite and very fitted designs from the Paris fashion house.
Crahay left Ricci in 1963 to go to Lanvin, and was immediately replaced by Gerard Pipart, who had worked at Balmain, Fath and Jean Patou prior to his new job. He continued to carry on the name of Ricci with beautiful and elegant dresses.
After Maria Ricci’s death in 1970, Crahay was appointed head of the house. Robert continued to excel in perfumery and business until his death in 1988.
THE PERFUMES:
Nina Ricci was acquired by PUIG in 1998 and it continues to produce men’s and women’s fashion along with perfumes.
Nina Ricci has 75 perfumes in the fragrance base and it is an old perfume house. The earliest edition was in the year 1946 and the newest one in the year 2017.
Ricci family’s legacy extends upto the current generation, Romanio Ricci, great grandson of Maria and grandson of Robert Ricci. He produces fragrances under the brand ‘ JULIET HAS A GUN’.
Nina Ricci’s most famous perfume, L’Air du Temps, created in France in 1949, means “Air of Time”, capturing the passion and elegance of an emerging generation Maria and Robert Ricci headed.
Robert worked with master perfumer Francis Fabron to create a scent with as much elegance as Madame Maria Ricci’s clothes. Marc Lalique created the graceful twin-dove crystal bottle.
Other classic Nina Ricci perfumes have included “Farouche”, “Capricci”, “Fleur de Fleurs” and “Eau de Fleurs”; each has had its own unique Lalique crystal pure perfume bottle. Men’s fragrances have included “Signoricci”, “Signoricci II” and “Phileas”. More recent perfumes have included two different fragrances, both with the name “Nina”, and a series of three perfumes under the name “Les Belles de Ricci”. Furthermore, there have been additional fragrances with the name “Ricci Ricci”, “Love in Paris” and “Premier Jour” which means “first day”.
Nina Ricci, until date, caters to the market with ready to wear collection, accesories, fragrances. It has its official website and can be reached on https://www.ninaricci.com/en-INT
