Paco Rabanne, the legendary Spanish fashion designer, died on February 3 in France at the age of 88, his fashion house announced on social media.
“The House of Paco Rabanne wishes to honour our visionary designer and founder who passed away today at the age of 88. Among the most seminal fashion figures of the 20th century, his legacy will remain a constant source of inspiration,” an Instagram reads, alongside a 1999 portrait of Rabanne.
The announcement continues, “We are grateful to Monsieur Rabanne for establishing our avant-garde heritage and defining a future of limitless possibilities.”
Puig, Rabanne’s fashion house and fragrance business’s parent company, confirmed his death to WWD, remarking on his icon status. “Paco Rabanne made transgression magnetic,” said Puig’s fashion and beauty division president, José Manuel Albesa. “Who else could make fashionable Parisian women clamor for plastic and metal dresses? Who else but Paco Rabanne could imagine a fragrance called Calandre – the word literally means “automobile grill” – becoming an icon of modern femininity?”
Rabanne, real name Francisco Rabaneda y Cuervo, was born in Spain in 1934. His mother worked as a seamstress for Cristóbal Balenciaga’s first fashion house when he was a child. During the Spanish Civil War, Rabanne’s father was killed, so she relocated the family to Paris, where Rabanne studied architecture before following his love of fashion and a sense of freedom.
After working for other brands, including Elsa Schiaparelli, Rabanne didn’t make fashion his full-time career until he was in his 30s. When he founded his own fashion house, he turned the industry upside down with his futuristic space-age designs, though he later told The New York Times that he didn’t like being labeled a “futurist.” His 1966 show, “Twelve Unwearable Dresses in Contemporary Materials,” helped him make a name for himself. His collection was made of metal and plastic and set the tone for his future work.
As Rabanne expanded his brand, he ventured into fragrance, releasing his first — and arguably most popular — scent, Calandre, in 1969. He continued to work in fragrance alongside his fashion creations, growing both of his businesses into global brands.
Rabanne and his team, known for using unconventional materials and creating unusual silhouettes, collaborated with a number of celebrities throughout his career to create some of the most memorable pieces of fashion. His fashion house famously created the green outfit worn by Jane Fonda in the 1960s film Barbarella, as well as a look made of paper for Lady Gaga to wear to the MTV Europe Awards in 2011.
According to Vogue, Rabanne officially retired in 1999, but his fashion house and fragrance businesses continued to thrive. Though it took a brief hiatus in the early 2000s, the House of Paco Rabanne relaunched in 2011 — just in time for Lady Gaga’s iconic paper look for MTV and the continued support of celebrity looks, such as Sabrina Carpenter’s golden gown for the 2022 Met Gala.