Paco Rabanne, the fashion designer behind ‘Barbarella’, has died aged 88
The iconic Spanish-born fashion designer Francisco Rabaneda Cuervo, better known as Paco Rabanne, has passed away at the age of 88.
Confirmed by the Spanish group Puig, who is in charge of the Paco Rabanne fashion house, president José Manuel Albesa stated that the late fashion designer “made transgression magnetic”. Continuing, he expressed the distinctive style and creativity of Rabanne, “Who else could induce fashionable Parisian women to clamour for dresses made of plastic and metal?”.
“Who but Paco Rabanne could imagine a fragrance called Calandre – the word means ‘automobile grill’, you know – and turn it into an icon of modern femininity?” he continued: “With his passing, we are reminded once again of his enormous influence on contemporary fashion, a spirit that lives on in the house that bears his name”.
During his time as a successful fashion designer, Rabanne also worked in the movie industry, lending his proficiency to such productions as Robert Enrico’s The Last Adventure, Joël Le Moigné’s Les poneyttes, and most famously, the camp 1968 movie Barbarella. Creating the iconic green costume worn by Jane Fonda in the movie, Rabanne had a significant hand in making the movie a cult classic. The film has recently re-entered the public sphere thanks to the forthcoming remake starring Sydney Sweeney.
A further statement of the designer’s death came on his official Instagram account. The post included a picture of the late designer and a caption that read: “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”.
To conclude, it read: “We are grateful to Monsieur Rabanne for establishing our avant-garde heritage and defining a future of limitless possibilities”.
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