He was known for recounting past reincarnations, and in 1999, he predicted the space station Mir would crash into France, coinciding with a solar eclipse. While his innovation and futuristic designs won plaudits, his fascination with the supernatural prompted public derision at times. The Paris cabaret Crazy Horse Saloon was his next venue, where models paraded his skimpy dresses and bathing suits while wearing hardhats.
His first collection, which he described as "unwearable dresses made of contemporary materials" were pieces made of strips of plastic linked with metal rings, worn by barefoot models at a presentation at the upscale Paris hotel George V. He then branched into fashion, designing garments and jewellery with unconventional materials such as metal and plastic. He started his career sketching handbags for a supplier to prestigious fashion houses including Givenchy and Chanel, as well as shoes for Charles Jourdan.
He studied architecture at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. Rabanne grew up in France, where the family moved after Spanish troops shot dead his father, who had been a Republican commander during the civil war. "A major personality in fashion, his was a daring, revolutionary and provocative vision, conveyed through a unique aesthetic," said Marc Puig, chairman and CEO of Puig.īorn in a village in the Spanish Basque region in 1934, his mother was a head seamstress at Balenciaga. The death of Francisco Rabaneda y Cuervo, Paco Rabanne's birth name, was confirmed by a spokesperson for Spanish group Puig, which now controls the fashion house. Rabanne dressed some of the most prominent stars of the 1960s, including French singer Francoise Hardy, whose outfits from the designer included a minidress made from gold plates and a metal link jumpsuit, as well as Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg, who were pictured in matching silver outfits.Īmong his most famous looks were the fitted, skin-baring ensembles worn by Jane Fonda in Roger Vadim's cult science fiction film "Barbarella". The eponymous label he exited more than two decades ago hailed him as "among the most seminal fashion figures of the 20th century". PARIS, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Paco Rabanne, the Spanish-born designer best known for his metallic ensembles and space age designs of the 1960s, has died at the age of 88.
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