Nina Ricci Perfume

Maria “Nina“ Nielli was born in Turin in 1883, and moved to Florence with her family when she was 5. At age 12, the family moved again, to France, where the following year she began her apprenticeship as a dressmaker. By the time she was 18, she had become head of the salon, and by 22, its chief designer. In 1904 she married Luigi Ricci, and they had one son, Robert. In 1908, she joined the house of Raffin, where she worked as a designer for 20 years.

It wasn’t until 1932, when she was 50 that Ricci decided to create her own design house, in partnership with her son. She designed the gowns, whilst Robert handled the business and financial side. Ricci worked with fabrics directly on the mannequin to ensure that the finished product had shape, and became known as a “design architect”. Success was rapid for the house, the 40 seamstresses working in a building at 20 rue des Capucines had increased to 450 at the outbreak of war and occupied 11 floors.

After the war ended, many designers felt it was time to re-create the glory of haute couture, as well as raise money for war relief. Robert had an idea which the company president Lucien Lelong put into action. Over 150 mannequins from 40 Parisian coutures were dressed in the labels’ top fashions and placed in an exhibition in the Louvre. It was hugely successful and subsequently toured Europe and the USA.

Robert Ricci produced the House’s first perfume, Coeur Joie in 1946, in a frosted crystal bottle made by Marc Lalique and illustrated by the artist Christian Bernard. This fragrance immediately set the House of Ricci in a class of its own in the world of perfumery. In 1948 Robert created L’Air du Temps, meaning mood of the times. The fragrance was made by master perfumer Francis Fabron, and the famous twin dove bottle was again made by Marc Lalique. L’Air du Temps became one of France’s best selling perfumes, and went on to become a worldwide success, remaining one of the world’s most popular fragrances. By the early 50’s Nina Ricci was nearing 70, and took a step back, ceasing to design and just keeping an eye on the house. Robert chose the new head designer in 1954, the Belgian Jules-Francois Crahay. He left for Lanvin in 1963 and was replaced by Gerard Pipart.

Nina Ricci died in 1970 at the age of 87. Parfums Nina Ricci developed rapidly during the 1970's to become one of France's leading exporters. To cope with this expansion, the Ury Perfume Production Centre was built, and was operational for the launch of "Farouche" in 1974. This model factory, combining advanced technology with traditional perfumery methods, has since then assured worldwide production of all Nina Ricci perfumes. By the end of the decade, the House of Ricci had expanded to cover ready-to-wear, leather goods and fashion accessories such as scarves, glasses and jewellery. The headquarters had moved from its humble beginnings to one of Paris’ most prestigious quarters.

In 1986, Ricci Club, a men’s boutique, was opened and was shortly followed by the men’s fragrance Ricci Club and then in 1989, Nina Ricci Monsieur. Robert Ricci died in 1988, aged 83. The House of Ricci continues to produce top quality fashions and fine fragrances.