The fashion house Paco Rabanne staged its first runway show since the passing of founder and designer Paco Rabanne, who died at 88 last month. In the front row, industry luminaries such as Jean-Paul Gaultier and Nicolas Ghesquière occupied seats alongside other notable names from the fashion world. The event drew widespread attention from fashion media everywhere.
Models walked the catwalk in looks that echo Rabanne’s futuristic imagination. Aluminum foil panels, crystal accents, sparkling white boots, silver caps, faux fur skirts and tailored trousers combined to create a streamlined, space-age vibe that defined Rabanne’s early signature aesthetic.
Julien Dossena, who has led the house since 2013, left a note on every seat thanking the late designer for his utopian creativity and radical expression. He closed the show with a finale featuring five original Paco Rabanne ensembles created specifically for this evening, underscoring the house’s continued commitment to Rabanne’s bold vision.
Rabanne, along with Pierre Cardin and André Courrèges, helped bring a space-age mood into fashion during the 1960s. Among the inventive pieces were dresses fashioned from aluminum panels, wedding gowns created from paper, coats built from metal triangles, garments assembled from rubber bands, and even a dress rumored to weigh several kilograms of gold. The collection that epitomized this era once graced the stage for a public figure in French pop culture, demonstrating the designer’s fearless experimentation in textiles and form.
Bruno Pawlowski, president of the Haute Couture Federation, remarked that Paco Rabanne was a pivotal figure who blended traditional craftsmanship with new techniques, all delivered with audacity and a hint of eccentricity. He noted Rabanne’s lasting influence on fashion, remarking on the designer’s ability to push the boundaries from his very first Paris runway show.
Talk surrounding Rabanne’s life and impact has continued to resonate within fashion media, reflecting on how his daring approach reshaped modern couture and street style alike. The legacy of his work remains a touchstone for designers seeking to merge futuristic concepts with wearable design, a fusion that continues to inspire today’s runways and editorial stories alike.