Olivier Theyskens. In praesentia

Exhibition Catalogue Olivier Theyskens. In praesentia, presented at the Museum for Lace and Fashion, Calais (15 june 2019 - 13 jan. 2020).

Creative director for prestigious couture houses - first at Rochas and later at Nina Ricci - Olivier Theyskens enjoys international recognition thanks to his critically acclaimed catwalk shows. He designs with a singular style: a subtle combination of pursuit of freedom and a Couture spirit, shot through by great artistic sensitivity and a constantly renewed insistence on technical perfection.

His early appropriation of heritage fabrics, as well as his taste for lace, and Chantilly lace in particular, betrays an innate talent for the world of textiles in all its richness.

In praesentia is by design an unprecedented emotional experience. The project is built on fragmentation and collisions, inspired by a creative dialogue between the singular work of Olivier Theyskens and the museum's historical textile and industrial collections.

Sensual but not flashy, forceful but not provocative, modern but not opportunistic, creative above and beyond fashion, Olivier Theyskens regards objects and beings with affection, teasing out the poetry of infinitesimal detail which inspires his creativity. This same vision nourishes his approach to the textile and industrial pieces held by the museum, witnesses to the rich history of lace in Calais.