Maria "Nina" Ricci and her son Robert founded the house of Nina Ricci in Paris in 1932. Unlike some of her contemporaries, Ricci was not driven by trends or trendsetting, she simply set out to create refined, understated, and ultra feminine clothes for women of the utmost elegance. The label quickly grew and by the late 1940s, became as known for fragrances as for clothing. Nina retired a decade later in 1959, handing over the creative duties to Belgian designer Jules-François Crahay, to much success. French designer Gérard Pipart took over when Crahay left for Lanvin in 1963 and stayed at the label for more than three decades until the company was sold to the Puig Group in 1998. Included among his successors are Lars Nilsson, Olivier Theyskens, and Peter Copping.

"To make women beautiful, to bring out the charm of each one's personality. But also to make life more beautiful."