Nina's little story begins with Maria Adélaïde Nielli, born in Italy. She moved to France a few years later, where she married Luigi Ricci and became Madame Ricci. She began to work at Raffin, a large Parisian fashion house, until 1929.

Passionate about couture, she opened her first boutique in Paris in 1932, in rue des Capucines, thanks to the support of her son Robert. They then name the company Nina Ricci (Nina being a nickname given to Maria during her childhood). Her clothes with feminine, delicate and neat features are her success. The Nina Ricci brand then quickly became known, and Robert did everything to make it break through abroad.

In 1946, the fashion house launched into perfumery. She released her very first perfume Cœur Joie, then in 1948, the perfume l'Air du Temps which became the brand's iconic product. Its dove-like bottle, and its flowery juice composed of bergamot, rose, jasmine, white musk and more, have made the success of this perfume still very popular today. This is not the only success of the Ricci house, other references follow the movement like Love in Paris, Nina, Mlle Ricci , Ricci Ricci, L'Extase or even the youngest of the collection, the little sister of our dear Nina, namely Luna. In 1998, the Nina Ricci house was bought by the Puig Group.

Maria or rather Nina Ricci has become a symbol of femininity, elegance, these same qualities represented on her works that have become timeless.