Iconic, Spanish designer, Paco Rabanne has passed away aged 88. Best known for his highly popular perfumes and “Space Age” aesthetic, he died in Portsall, France this week.
His death was confirmed by Spanish group Puig, which runs the Paco Rabanne fashion and fragrance business.
José Manuel Albesa, president of Puig’s fashion and beauty division said in a statement about the noteworthy designer, “Paco Rabanne made transgression magnetic.
Who else could induce fashionable Parisian women to clamor for dresses made of plastic and metal? Who but Paco Rabanne could imagine a fragrance called Calandre – the word means ‘automobile grill,’ you know – and turn it into an icon of modern femininity?” He continued, “That radical, rebellious spirit set him apart: There is only one Rabanne.
With his passing, we are reminded once again of his enormous influence on contemporary fashion, a spirit that lives on in the house that bears his name.”
Paco Rabanne, who became internationally acclaimed in the 1960s, retired from fashion in 1999 and was hardly ever seen in public since, but his brand was revived in 2011 by Barcelona-based Puig, with Indian fashion designer Manish Arora at the helm.
Arora then resigned in 2013 and French designer Julien Dossena as led the fashion house since. Puig’s Chairman and CEO, Marc Puig also conveyed his condolences as he stated, “I am deeply saddened by the passing of Mr. Paco Rabanne.
The history of Puig and Paco Rabanne began in the late 1960s with the launch of Calandre, the perfume created soon after the designer released ‘12 Unwearable Dresses in Contemporary Materials.’” He continued, “A major personality in fashion, his was a daring, revolutionary and provocative vision, conveyed through a unique aesthetic.
He will remain an important source of inspiration for the Puig fashion and fragrance teams, who continuously work together to express Mr. Paco Rabanne’s radically modern codes. I extend my sincere condolences to his family and to those who have known him.”
Paco Rabanne was renowned for his use of unique materials to create some of the most exquisite fashion creations – and it was in 1966 that he created a collection of “12 Unwearable Dresses in Contemporary Materials,” entirely out of plastic.
It caused quite the frisson with the French fashion press, but ultimately put him on the fashion map and set him up for a legendary fashion career. He then moved on from plastics to creating dresses in metals, among other materials he is noted for.
