With Boloria, Olivier Theyskens to Debut at Couture Week The Belgian designer will showcase his work for the very first time during Paris Haute Couture Week with his new label, Boloria
Lady Gaga's white bodysuit in Abracadabra? Mylène Farmer’s stage costumes, or Madonna’s iconic dress at the 1998 Oscars? Him, him, and him again. He has a soft spot for pop stars, and they certainly return the favor. Lace, black and white (with occasional flashes of red) transform every woman who wears his creations into a romantic-gothic heroine. A look back at a career launched when he was barely 21 years old.
Working in the Shadows for Brands and Icons in the Spotlight
Born in Brussels, Theyskens was catapulted into the spotlight at age 21 when Madonna wore his black satin hook-and-eye gown to the 1998 Academy Awards. He placed his namesake brand on hiatus when he joined Rochas in 2003, later taking over the creative direction of Nina Ricci in Paris, and subsequently Theory in New York. In recent years, he revived designs under his own label and collaborated with French pop star Mylène Farmer for her 2024 "Nevermore" tour. He took over the mantle from Jean Paul Gaultier, who had previously designed the artist's costumes before his retirement. Prior to this collaboration, the designer had already paid tribute to her in 2020 with "Horloge," his Spring/Summer 2021 collection unveiled during Paris Fashion Week.
Recently, he has designed silhouettes for singers Caroline Polachek during a concert in London and Lady Gaga for her ABRACADABRA music video, which has amassed nearly 250 million views on YouTube. This offers increased visibility for a designer highly revered by the industry but less known to the general public. With his new label Boloria, Olivier Theyskens is tackling haute couture. It is behind the name of a butterfly species that the Belgian designer is emerging from his chrysalis.
Boloria: The Rebirth of a Creative Genius
The first images of Boloria offer a few clues about what awaits us during Couture Week. A campaign shot in black and white (the designer's two signature colors) featuring both female AND male silhouettes -a mix of profiles that signifies a refusal to distinguish between genders and wardrobes. Visible construction seams, concealed faces, slumped bodies, and wooden furniture as the sole support. This debut campaign, captured by Willy Vanderperre, is a highly promising blueprint and a welcome addition to Couture Week.
While black and white are strongly present, the lace that is usually Olivier Theyskens' signature remains discreet. Only a high-necked white blouse makes a timid appearance. This is surprising given the prominent role it has played in his work since his debut. His approach was even the subject of an exhibition at the Cité de la Dentelle et de la Mode in Calais in 2020. There, we learned that Olivier Theyskens' first love affair with this openwork fabric dates back to his childhood, when he collected Chantilly lace scraps thanks to his grandmother. With the creation of his ready-to-wear line in the late 1990s, lace naturally resurfaced. It would also accompany him upon his arrival as creative director at Rochas in 2002. Throughout his career, he has surrounded himself with the finest lace-makers, notably the Italian maestro Marco Lagattolla. This precious savoir-faire will undoubtedly continue, even if only in touches, to shape the DNA of his new couture house.
A Wardrobe in Mutation
Alongside lace, black is the color that most frequently defines Olivier Theyskens' creative universe. Used as a true medium, he explores every shade of this tone so deeply cherished by Japanese designers. It is notably through the fabrics used -lace first and foremost, but also silk, wool, and satin- that the creator reveals the various facets of this "non-color." With black, an entire "neo-romantic" universe, to quote him, emerges. His creations are heavily inspired by 19th-century Europe. The Victorian era and the passion of the Romantics serve as guides for the designer, who reappropriates key elements of the period's wardrobe: crinolines, extravagant collars, and defined waistlines. Olivier Theyskens even plays along with the "gothic" label often attached to him, once creating an entire collection where only two white pieces walked the runway.
These blocks of black are eventually succeeded by other layers of color, such as yellow and blue satins that complete the palette. Other hues appear in touches, particularly through sheer fabrics that seem to have been diluted in water. Patterns, however, are more understated. Here and there, one finds Harlequin-style stripes and subtle echoes of reptile prints.
With the launch of Boloria, Olivier Theyskens is doing more than just adding another line to an already prestigious résumé; he is undergoing a true metamorphosis. By stepping into Couture Week, the Belgian creator chooses a realm of absolute and technical freedom -a space where his love for art craftsmanship and fabric manipulation can express itself free from the constraints of mass ready-to-wear. This transition toward haute couture appears as the natural evolution of a designer who, since his debut at the age of 21, has always treated clothing with the solemnity and poetry of the great masters.