In the wake of a re-branding, let’s look back on the most iconic Paco Rabanne moments.
‘Paco Rabanne becomes “Rabanne”’- a statement from the company’s press office announces it’s dropping the first name of its late founder, on the eve of the brand’s 60th anniversary, a little over two weeks ago. It follows a number of other designer label name erasures – Dior, Saint Laurent, Mugler, Balenciaga – which have understandably been controversial, but seem to initiate a distancing from their founding designer, perhaps as a preserving of their legacy, but bring to the fore the house as a brand. Rabanne’s signature has not been overwritten, however, as features of the label’s past are reinstalled in the new branding; the typography uses the font of the small letters found on an original bottle of Calandre, Paco’s first fragrance. With this, they are set to pilot a makeup line, and having provably had more commercial success with their fragrances, the new name indeed denotes plans for further establishment within the more accessible beauty and small accessory markets. They write, ‘the name change to “Rabanne” represents a pivotal moment for the Maison as it celebrates a decade of remarkable growth and looks forward to shaping a new future uniting fashion and beauty as a one unique signature and lifestyle’.
In terms of clothes Julien Dossena, who has held the role of creative director since his appointment in 2013, will continue to design for the brand. As Rabanne’s third creative director in two years after its revival in 2011, his success at the brand is considerable. The reason?- a compatibility in creative vision between Dossena and Rabanne, as he utilises the recognised iconography formulated by Paco, and translates it into a modern aesthetic that has commercial viability today. Indeed many of his designs emulate the construction of its antecedents; dresses formed from layers of fragmented plastic, and chainmail. Of course the brand is founded on and distinguished for its unique designs that use an interplay of fabrication, avant-garde and material-derived silhouettes, and an employment of futuristic motifs, when Paco Rabanne unveiled his collection: “Manifesto: 12 unwearable dresses in contemporary materials” in 1966. Paco, who was originally educated in architecture, was regarded as the Enfant Terrible of fashion throughout the 60s for his experimental compositions. But what was once considered unconventional has now emerged as a prominent trend in 2023, as our jeans shimmer with metallic thread and sequins enshroud our clothes, making right now an especially opportune time for the label.
So, with an eye on the future, lets now remember the most iconic moments in Paco Rabanne’s history:
“Manifesto: 12 unwearable dresses in contemporary materials”, 1966
International Beauty and Style Guru, fashion blog by Evie Nightingale 