Olivier Theyskens (Dutch pronunciation: [ˌɔlɪviər ˈtʰɛiskəns]; born January 4, 1977 in Brussels, Belgium) is a fashion designer who has worked with several major houses, including Rochas, Nina Ricci and Theory. He was born to a Belgian chemical engineer and a French homemaker. When he was young, Theyskens desperately wanted to be a girl, and was tormented by the fact that girls "got to be princesses and wear skirts". As a child, Theyskens' parents encouraged him to draw men and women in costumes and were not surprised when at the age of 7 years old, Theyskens proclaimed he wanted to "do haute couture". In October 1995, aged 18, Olivier Theyskens began attending École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Visuels de la Cambre to study fashion design, but dropped out in 1997 to start his own label.
