Fashion designer Paco Rabanne, known for his eccentric designs and perfumes, died in France on Friday at the age of 88.
“The House of Paco Rabanne wishes to honor our visionary designer and founder who passed away today at the age of 88,” said an FB post. “Among the most influential fashion figures of the 20th century, his legacy will remain a constant source of inspiration.”
“We are grateful to Monsieur Rabanne for establishing our cutting-edge heritage and defining a future of limitless possibilities.”
Born Francisco Rabaneda y Cuervo in the Basque region of Spain, Rabanne was a notable designer in the 1960s, creating iconic pieces that set the pace with space-age metallic fashion.
At age 5, his family fled Spain during the Spanish Civil War and took the name Paco Rabanne. He studied architecture at the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris before turning to haute couture, following in the footsteps of his mother, who he designed for Balenciaga.
The designer got much of his fashion philosophies from his mother. After her spring 2002 show, Rabanne told The New York Times that his mother’s words were “important to me.”
“She would tell me, ‘Son, in fashion, you have all the freedom you want, except for one thing. You are not allowed to attack women’s beauty,’” she told the newspaper. “I don’t want to have women with these torn, deconstructed and pessimistic clothes. I want to create fashion for women to be beautiful, sexy and optimistic.”
During her career, Rabanne worked with designers such as Elsa Schiaparelli and created for various brands including Dior, Givenchy, and Balenciaga.
His designs flourished through his collaboration with Antonio and Mariano Puig, a Spanish company that now also owns other design houses, including Nina Ricci and Jean Paul Gaultier.
Rabanne’s “Calandre” perfume was launched in 1969, the first Puig product in Spain, France and the United States, according to the group.
The fashion house of Rabanne shows its collections in Paris and is scheduled to present the brand’s latest designs during fashion week from February 27 to March 3.
