Farewell to genius who made Barbarella dazzle
Celebrating an icon: ‘Only one Rabanne’
DESIGNER Paco Rabanne, best known for his perfume and cologne empire, has died aged 88 in Brittany, France. His debut fashion show in 1966 brought immediate fame when he stunned the audience with ‘12 Unwearable Dresses’ – models dancing barefoot down the catwalk in outfits made of sharp metal. The use of such materials led to him being dubbed ‘the metal worker’ by Coco Chanel. Mr Rabanne’s stardom reached further heights when in 1968 he designed the iconic Barbarella green outfit worn by Jane Fonda. The designer, real name Francisco Rabaneda y Cuervo, also dressed Audrey Hepburn, Mia Farrow and Françoise Hardy. He famously dressed superstar Lady Gaga in outfits entirely made of paper for her 2011 appearance at the MTV Europe Music Awards.
While the icon’s career began in fashion houses, his name would soon become synonymous with cologne, ultimately even eclipsing his fame as a designer.
Born in 1934, Mr Rabanne’s father was shot dead in the Spanish Civil War. His mother worked as the chief seamstress at Cristóbal Balenciaga’s first fashion house in Spain before moving the family to Paris.
The young Paco Rabanne sketched for Dior and Givenchy alongside his architecture degree, and then worked at a concrete producer for ten years. But his passion for design remained and in 1966 he launched his fashion house. Two years later, Mr Rabanne signed a deal with the Puig family, heavyweights in the fashion and fragrance industry. The designer was known to be eccentric and claimed to have lived multiple lives, leading some to call him ‘Wacko Paco’. A statement on his Instagram said: ‘His legacy will remain a constant source of inspiration.’ And José Manuel Albesa, of Puig, said: ‘There is only one Rabanne.’