Paco Rabbane -Legendary Fashion Designer
































Paco Rabanne was born Francisco Rabaneda y Cuervo in 1934, in Pasagès de San Pedro, Spain. Rabanne studied architecture at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-arts in Paris from 1951 to 1963.
In 1963, Rabanne won an award at the Biennale de Paris for an inhabitable garden sculpture, which was exhibited at the Musée d'art moderne de la ville de Paris.  From 1955 to 1963, Rabanne used his sketching skills to finance his architectural studies, regularly working for Roger Model and for Charles Jourdan.  In 1959, Women's Wear Daily published seven sketches of his dresses signed "Franck Rabanne." He did not begin using the name Paco professionally until 1965.




From 1962 to 1966, Rabanne and his family hand-produced unusual buttons and embroideries for the houses of  haute couture of Nina Ricci, Cristóbal Balenciaga, Maggy Rouff, Philippe Venet, Pierre Cardin, and Hubert de Givenchy.  In 1965, Rabanne created oversized rhodoïd jewelry in various geometric forms and bright colors which brought him his first major commercial and media success.
Paco Rabanne launched his first collection, “Twelve Unwearable Dresses in Contemporary Materials,” on February 1, 1966.  On April 21, 1966, the dancers of the celebrated Parisian cabaret, the Crazy Horse Saloon, presented Rabanne’s beachwear collection made of rhodoïd disks or leather. Rabanne also set up his workshop in 1966 at 33, rue Bergère.

Rabbane's many noteworthy contributions to the cinema however include: Two or Three Things I Know About Her, directed by Jean-Luc Godard (1967); The Adventurers (Les aventuriers) also known as "The Last Adventure," directed by Robert Enrico (1967); Two for the Road, directed by Stanley Donen (1967); Casino Royale, directed by John Huston (1967); and Barbarella, directed by Roger Vadim (1968).  Rabbane produced a series of sophisticated perfumes; Calandre, which he launched in 1969, was produced by the Spanish company Puig (which bought out Paco Rabanne in 1986).
Rabanne presented his last collection in 1999 and retired.  The house of Rabanne was sold to the Spanish company Puig in 2000, and collections continued under the direction of Rosemary Rodriguez and, from 2005, Patrick Robinson.