With a background in the written press (he worked for Les Inrockuptibles for a long time), Olivier Nicklaus has specialised for the last fifteen years in making documentaries, particularly on fashion, combining archives, filming and interviews, such as the series Fashion!, broadcast on Arte in 2012 and published as a DVD box set, in which he looked back on three decades of fashion by interviewing the main designers for each decade. His three most recent documentaries on Arte are Apocalypse Mode in 2021, Azzedine Alaïa, un couturier français in 2022 and Versace, les liens du sang in 2023.

In addition to his documentary work, Olivier Nicklaus is a scriptwriter for fiction films and series, writes for magazines and produces podcasts.