/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/EALO2PWIAZAPLMSHUVIAKUFICA.jpg)
The Basque fashion designer Francisco Rabaneda Cuervo, known as Paco Rabanne, has died this Friday, February 3 at the age of 88, as confirmed in a statement by the Spanish group Puig, owner of the brand.
At the moment, the causes of his death have not been disclosed.
The dressmaker, who was born in Pasaia (Gipuzkoa) on February 18, 1934, was known for his textile creations and his perfume brand.
“I am deeply saddened by the death of Paco Rabanne.
The history of Puig and Paco Rabanne begins at the end of the sixties with the launch of Calandre, the perfume created shortly after the designer launched 12 impossible-to-wear dresses in contemporary materials.
His great personality transmitted, through a unique aesthetic, his daring, revolutionary and provocative vision of the world of fashion.
It will continue to be a major source of inspiration for the Puig fashion and fragrance teams, who work together to express the radically modern codes of Paco Rabanne.
My most sincere condolences to his family and to those who knew him”, declared Marc Puig, executive president of the group.
Rabanne was awarded the National Fashion Design Award in 2010 for "his innovation and his contribution to all areas of 20th century culture".
He is the son of an Andalusian general loyal to the Republic named Francisco Rabaneda Postigo, who was shot in Santoña (Cantabria) in 1937. His mother was Basque and was a militant and member of the leadership of the Communist Party of Spain (PCE).
It was not until he was five years old that Rabanne moved with his family to France.
After settling in Paris, he studied Architecture at the National School of Fine Arts.
He was quickly introduced to the world of fashion because his mother had worked in the Balenciaga couturier's workshop in San Sebastián.
At first, he designed accessories for couturiers such as Givenchy, Balenciaga or Dior.
In 1963 he presented his first collection of suits, in which he mixed materials such as plastic, paper or aluminum.
From then on, she created an empire in the world of fashion, ranging from haute couture, clothing and perfumes to decorative elements.
His brand became part of the Spanish group Puig in 1986, but they have collaborated since 1969 creating a lucrative fragrance market, with perfumes such as Paco Rabannepour Homme and 1 Million.
The union between the designer and the fashion and beauty company materialized after Antonio and Mariano Puig, members of the second generation of the family business, visited Rabanne at his offices near the Folies Bergère, in the French capital.
Rabanne, who announced in 1999 that he was leaving haute couture, was also known for his artistic pursuits and his philosophical side.
He came to predict the end of the world in the year 2000.
“Paco Rabanne made transgression magnetic.
Who else could induce elegant Parisian women to clamor for dresses made of plastic and metal?
Who but Paco Rabanne could imagine a fragrance called Calandre (meaning 'car grill') and make it an icon of modern femininity?
That radical and rebellious spirit sets him apart: there is only one Rabanne.
With his death, we remember once again his enormous influence on contemporary fashion, a spirit that endures in the Maison that bears his name”, declared Jose Manuel Albesa, president of Puig's beauty and fashion division. .
