The only replacement that has been more highly anticipated than Peter Som’s over at Bill Blass these past few months (rumored to be Richard Chai), is Olivier Theyskens’ replacement at Nina Ricci.
After presenting a wildly critically successful Fall/Winter 2009 collection, Theyskens parted ways with Nina Ricci six months before his contract was up. There were rumors of discord with Puig Fashion Group, namely its head Mario Grauso, who owns the label.
Now, Fashion Week Daily is reporting that one of their well-placed industry insiders is nearly 100 percent sure that Peter Copping, who designs under Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton, is set to replace Theyskens.
As for Puig Fashion Group, they have said that there are no plans to put Nina Ricci on hiatus. Although they would not reveal who will take over as creative director, Puig president Mario Grauso said that a new designer will be announced within the next few weeks.
Meanwhile, amidst swirling rumors that Theyskens is going to re-launch his namesake label, are reports that the designer may be taking over the creative reigns at Halston. However, nothing has been confirmed as of yet.
Images courtesy of the Fashion Spot forums.
