In 1883 in Turin, Italy Maria Nielli was born. In 1895 when Maria was 12, her family moved to France. When she was 13, she apprenticed to a dressmaker. At the age of 18 Maria had become the head of the salon and at the age of 22 she was their chief designer. In 1904 she married a jeweler named Luigi Ricci. In 1905 she gave birth to their son Robert. In 1908 Nina joined the house of Raffin as a designer where she stayed for 20 years.

At age 50, in 1932, Madame Ricci opened her own house with her son Robert. It was the House of Ricci. Robert ran the business and Madame Ricci created the garments. During the 1930