Olivier Theysens Is Back Heading a New Fashion House
Antwerp-based Boloria, backed by Tomorrowland parent We Are One World, is to unveil its first collection in 2026.
By Miles Socha
September 10, 2025, 6:47AM
Olivier Theyskens, who has designed for such brands as Rochas, Nina Ricci and Theory, has been appointed creative director of Boloria – an upstart fashion house backed by We Are One World, the Belgian parent of the Tomorrowland electronic music festivals.
Boloria is to be based in Antwerp and unveil its first collection next year, though on Wednesday, it teased its visual identity with black-and-white photos that suggest a tailored direction with touches of deconstruction.
Willy Vanderperre, a frequent collaborator of many Belgian designers, is credited for the imagery, which Boloria says “invite interpretation.”
Boloria is to convey “distinctly Belgian values – sensitivity, integrity, emotional resonance – that have always inspired Theyskens’ work and approach to fashion,” according to the upstart brand.
Wednesday’s brief statement said Theyskens and We Are One World had forged a “new, long-term collaboration” and that Boloria represented “the initial step in an ongoing partnership in multifaceted creative endeavors.”
Tomorrowland has been at the forefront of constructing a lifestyle brand around its music festivals via merchandise that spans fashion, accessories, fragrances and furniture, along with collaborations with the likes of Sarda for lingerie, Serax for tableware, Baobab for scented candles and Suspicious for fleece fashions.
Born in Brussels, Theyskens catapulted to fame at 21 years old when Madonna wore his black satin hook-and-eye gown to the Oscars in 1998. He put his signature brand on hiatus when he joined Rochas in 2003, going on to lead Nina Ricci in Paris and Theory in New York.
In recent years, he resumed designing under his own label, and collaborated with French pop star Mylène Farmer on her 2024 “Nevermore” tour.
The MoMu museum in Antwerp mounted a retrospective of Theyskens work in 2017.
