Philosophy
Paco Rabanne is a well known brand of womenswear.
The Spanish fashion designer was born in 1934 in San Sebastian, then he moved to Paris, where he graduated with honours in Architecture, perhaps driven by his mother, who at the time was one of the Balenciaga’s seamstresses.
Naturally maverick, Rabanne began his career in the jewellery design at Givenchy, Dior and Balenciaga; in 1966, he created his own label, using for the first time pliers instead of the common pin and thread.
Paco Rabanne uses new materials, such as metal, paper, plastic and aluminium, so that Mademoiselle Coco Chanel renames him "the metalworker of fashion."
In February 1966 he presents his first collection, full of unconventional clothes made of vinyl and plastic cards, worn by barefoot black models.
All the 60’s celebrities wear Rabanne’s creations: the Crazy Horse dancers, Francoise Hardy, Jane Fonda in the “Barbarella” movie, Audrey Hepburn, consecrating him in the international fashion business.
Today, the futuristic Rabanne’s women turn into “femme lumiere”, sensual women who come from a not too distant future, wearing not only fabrics and leather but also glass and plastic, just like at the beginning of the label.
After the creative direction of Manish Arora, the French brand is now run by Lydia Maurer, the German-Colombian designer who has worked at Givenchy and Yves Saint Laurent.
Lydia Maurer does not renege the traditional Rabanne’s style, creating sensual, feminine and avant-gard collections, combining both Latin and passionate features, whith the more basic and rational elements.
An androgynous woman, but at the same time very caliente, thanks to clear cuts, shimmering and dazzling touches of gold and silver.
The collections propose knee-length dresses, enlivened by a large colour palette.
Designs become sensual with simple “V” neckline or hyper-modern rock details.
© Images copyright: Paco Rabanne and rightful owners.
