Nicolas Ghesquière (French pronunciation: [nikɔla ʒɛskjɛʁ]; born 9 May 1971) is a French-Belgian fashion designer who has been the women's creative director of the house of Louis Vuitton (owned by LVMH) since 2013.

[1][2] Ghesquière was born in Comines, Nord, the younger of two sons of a Francophone Belgian golf-course owner and manager in the 7,500-inhabitant Poitevine town of Loudun and a French mother, who enjoyed fashion.

[9] Through his contacts with Marie-Amélie Sauvé and Nathalie Marrec,[10] Ghesquière eventually landed a job doing the licensing for Paris fashion house Balenciaga and designing for the Asian market.

At that time, Balenciaga had limited success since the 1970s and was owned by Groupe Jacques Bogart, whose management realized Ghesquière's talent when he designed a small collection for one of its Japanese licensees.

Ghesquière held, as he then described it, "what many would call the worst position in fashion," designing suits and funeral clothes under a Balenciaga licence for Japan.

[15] Ghesquière was forced to admit that he had copied a patchwork vest from San Francisco designer Kaisik Wong — who died in 1990 — for the Balenciaga Spring/Summer 2002 collection.

"[17] At Balenciaga, Ghesquière soon became known for his sense of contrast, such as pairing high-waisted skinny pants with a voluminous blouson or a tightly cut wool jumpsuit with billowing sleeves.

However, even though the Balenciaga archives are stored in Ghesquière's atelier, he was only able to gain entry to the locked room by special appointment with an off-site custodian.

Ghesquière's collections have had a considerable commercial impact, particularly through his influence on other designers, including his former staff members Julien Dossena, Camille Miceli, and Natacha Ramsay-Levi.

[4] During his 15-year tenure at Balenciaga, Ghesquière is widely credited with having helped turn the fashion label into one of the fastest-growing and most profitable brands of parent PPR.

[36] In 1998, Madonna wore Balenciaga’s gothic-chic dress to the Golden Globes and was named avant-garde designer of the year at the VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards.

[43] In 2022, Ghesquière acquired John Lautner’s Wolff House in Los Angeles for $11 million from Amanda Hearst in an off-market deal.