Paco Rabanne Has Passed Away At 88
The fashion revolutionary and founder of the Space Age aesthetic died in France, according to multiple reports…
News of Paco Rabbane’s death broke early on Friday evening as the industry was shocked to hear of the iconic designer’s passing; according to reports by Women’s Wear Daily, the Spanish created died at 88 in Portsall, France.
Born Francisco Rabaneda Cuervo in 1934 in Spain to Cristóbal Balenciaga’s chief seamstress in the Basque Country, young Francisco moved to Paris with his mother when the iconic French designer relocated to Paris, opening a boutique in 1937.
Young Paco attended École Nationale des Beaux-Arts and studied architecture, while also making money sketching for Dior and Givenchy. After accepting a job with French architect Auguste Perret, he designed jewellery for some of Paris’ most iconic fashion houses before founding his own house in 1966.
A visionary who pioneered the Space Age aesthetic, the early experimental fashion movement, and many of the 1960’s most iconic styles – including Jane Fonda’s green costume in 1968’s Barbarella – his rebellious attitude allowed him to unabashedly experiment with technology and unassuming materials – like metal, paper, and plastic – throughout his collections.
In an Instagram post shared by the brand, a caption reads “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. We are grateful to Monsieur Rabanne for establishing our avant-garde heritage and defining a future of limitless possibilities.”
His cause of death has not been publicly disclosed.
Image courtesy of Getty/Bertrand Rindoff Petroff