Spanish designer Paco Rabanne has died at the age of 88. The cosmetics group Puig, under whose roof Rabanne’s label runs, confirmed the death to the German Press Agency. “He is one of the most important personalities in the fashion world of the 20th century and his legacy will remain a constant source of inspiration,” writes the group on Instagram. “We are grateful to Monsieur Rabanne for establishing our avant-garde heritage and defining a future of unlimited possibilities.” According to media reports, the fashion designer died in Brittany near Brest.
Rabanne was born in 1934 in San Sebastián in the Spanish Basque Country. In 1939, when the fascists were in power, his mother fled to France with him.
In the 1960s, Rabanne became known for his extravagant clothing designs and founded his own company. He is considered one of the great futurists in the industry, who pushed the boundaries of fashion with new materials. Unlike other fashion designers at the time, he used little satin or velvet, instead playing with materials such as aluminum or plastic.
Paco Rabanne designing his futuristic creations in a picture from 1969.
(Photo: AFP)
In the space age and the disco era, his famous chain mail dresses, metal chain mail creations, caused a stir. In the science fiction film “Barbarella” Jane Fonda wore his costumes and made him world famous.
In recent years, Rabanne, who is considered to be a great autodidact, has been best known for his perfume series. “Who other than Paco Rabanne could dream up a fragrance called ‘Calandre’ – the word means grille, you know – and make it an icon of modern femininity? That radical, rebellious spirit set him apart: there is only one Rabanne,” shared Puig to his death with. He shaped generations with his radical ideas about fashion.