French fashion designer Paco. Paco Rabanne
Paco is Spanish for "raven". It was in honor of this wisest of birds and the mythical patron of his family that the now world-famous couturier Francisco Rabaneda y Cuerve came up with a new name for himself, while also shortening his unpronounceable surname.
In the summer of 2000, Paco Rabanne announced that he was leaving the world of high fashion forever.
Haute couture fashion has become too expensive even for the French. According to the artist himself, when he was just taking his first steps in fashion, there were about 50 thousand women in the world who could afford couture clothes. Now there are only 200 of them! Many of the fashion houses have not sold anything for a long time, but rent them to Hollywood stars.
A way out of this situation could be the thorough development of ready-to-wear lines (classic clothing for men and women). Paco Rabanne has two such collections: “Paco” and the youth line. Of particular note is the line of ready-to-wear in an elegant version.
However, in 2001, a retrospective exhibition of Rabanne was held in Burgos (Spain), accompanied by a fashion show. The exhibition covers the entire period of the maestro's work - from the first plastic dress, which caused a stir in the fashion world in 1964, to the ready-to-wear collection prepared by the couturier for the summer season of 2002. Rabanne appeared in all the diversity of his talents - not only as a fashion designer, but also as a sculptor, architect, and even the author of books on esotericism. It is no coincidence that the exhibition, summing up almost 40 years of Rabanne’s work, was organized in Spain.
Mystic by education
Paco Rabanne (Francisco Rabaneda y Cuervo) was born on February 18, 1934 in the Basque part of Spain in the city of San Sebastian. He spent his childhood in the company of an extremely religious grandmother, no stranger to the occult, and a mother who was a prominent figure in the Spanish Socialist Party and an absolute atheist. His father was a general and remained loyal to the constitutional government of the Republic during the civil war, for which he was shot by the Francoists in 1937. After the victory of the Franco regime, Spain took five-year-old Francisco to France.
– I was, of course, greatly influenced by my mother, a Marxist and materialist. She argued that religion is like football, the opium of the people. On the other hand - grandmother. Christian and heiress of magicians. She treated with herbs and spells, relieved pain with her hands, and got rid of kidney stones. It was she who showed me the power of stone, the power of water, and explained the meaning of many magical symbols. I adored them, so different - my mother and grandmother, and was brought up between two opposites.
Such an ambiguous environment predetermined the development in young Paco Rabanne of those qualities that were useful to him in later life: tolerance, the belief that reality has many facets, generosity, concern for others and openness to the world.
In 1952, Paco Rabanne entered the National School of Fine Arts, the architectural department. To pay for his studies, he made fashion accessories and buttons for the House of Balenciaga (not without the influence of his mother - in Spain she worked as the chief assistant to Cristobal Balenciaga).
Fashion provocateur
Gradually he switched to other accessories - he created handbags, jewelry and belts for Hubert de Givenchy, Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent. And this is not a complete list of the names of famous designers with whom the young Rabanne collaborated and was friends.
In the early 60s, great changes took place in art. “Optical” and “Kinetic” art became fashionable. Architects, turning away from stone, turned to metal, painters to neon. These revolutionary changes in art inspired Paco Rabanne to create his own collection. In 1965, the first creations with the signature of Paco Rabanne appeared.
He first shocked the public in 1966. Then a collection of “12 dresses made from modern materials that cannot be worn” was presented to a collection of sophisticated connoisseurs. One must imagine the Parisian fashion shows of those times: a silent audience and a voice shouting model numbers. In the front rows are aesthetic journalists, ladies in classic dresses with rows of pearls around their necks, and men in impeccable suits. And suddenly a young Spaniard (who, by the way, was then keen on the music of the Beatles, Dadaism and obsessed with the idea of presenting women from all over the world to the public) brings out dancing black models in metallic dresses to the music of Pierre Boulet. The public is shocked. Some indignant journalists immediately leave the room. The remaining spectators look at the girls in amazement. The designer assembled incredible dresses using ordinary pliers and a blowtorch. The barbed iron mercilessly scratches the models' delicate bodies. But courageous girls continue to dance.
The first collection brought Rabanne recognition among fashion designers in Paris, and also determined his restless revolutionary future. In 1966, Rabanne created paper dresses, and the idea of disposable clothing was born.
In 1967 he founded his own fashion house in Paris. Presents “cast” dresses – tailored to the shape of the body and made from metal parts.
In 1968, knitted fur and aluminum jersey appeared. In the same year, he created costumes for the famous film “Barbarella” with the participation of Jane Fonda.
For the 1988 dresses, the designer used laser discs. “During the day, her clothes should define a fast-paced business lifestyle. In the evening - to emphasize the greatness and femininity of the goddess,” said Paco Rabanne in the late 80s. To achieve the evening effect, Paco Rabanne played with light and transparency, using reflective and microcrystalline materials that sparkled on the body. This was the second birth of “experimental” images from Paco Rabanne: dresses made of holographic fiber and plexiglass.
World of fragrances
At the very beginning of his design career, Paco Rabanne plunges into another adventure - the world of fragrances. In 1969, the fragrance “Calandre” he created instantly won the spoiled hearts of women. Named after the car, the bottle with a metal rim was associated with New York architecture, and Rabanne preferred a note of cypress to the generally accepted basic lemon tone of fragrances of that era. Then came “Paco Rabanne Pour Homme” and its variations in 1973, “Metal” (1979), “La Nuit” (1985), “Sport” and its variations (1986), “Tenere” (1988). In 1993, it was the turn of the daring 90s fragrance XS (Excess Pour Homme) - for a man who was desirable and sensual. This fragrance is still on the list of the most purchased men's eau de toilette. In 1981, furniture, cutlery and tablecloths from the favorite fashion designer appeared in the interiors of numerous fans of the House of Paco Rabanne. And in 1990, 1989 was released - introducing a women's line of ready-to-wear. Based on his futuristic style, he creates wearable clothing, the so-called pret-a-porter line for women in 1989 and a year later for men.
For many years, Rabanne's creations were exhibited in the best museums in the world in New York, Tokyo, Paris, and were presented at festivals and fairs in Montreal, Capri, and Milan.
Awards testify to the international recognition of his art: the Beauty Products Industry Prize for Calandre (1969), the Fragrance Foundation Recognition Award for the composition and packaging of Paco Rabanne Pour Homme (1974). .), "Golden Needle" - for the Haute Couture collection (1997), award for contribution to fashion at the First International Fashion Festival (1985), "Golden Thimble" (1990). In 1989, as a sign In recognition of his talent and for his active contribution to numerous humanitarian projects, Paco Rabanne was awarded the highest order of Spain, the Order of Isabella the Catholic, and also became a Chevalier of the Legion of Honor in France. In 1992, Paco Rabanne received the high honor of presenting a retrospective of his works to the Royal Court of Spain at an exhibition in Seville. On May 31, 2001, King Juan Carlos awarded him the “Gold Medal for Achievement in Fine Arts.”
A passionate connoisseur of culture, Paco Rabanne invests energy and resources in opening cultural centers and publishing magazines. Ursula Andersen, Jane Fonda (the costumes for the famous Barbarella were designed by Rabanne), Françoise Hardy, Brigitte Bardot, Audrey Hepburn and others starred in his costumes.
Ultraviolet splash
In July 1999, the presentation of the fall-winter 1999/2000 haute couture collection took place, which determined an important stage in the life of the House: Rabanne announced that from now on he would not be personally involved in haute couture, and would devote himself entirely to ready-to-wear. And he handed over further work on creating the House’s collections to a team of young fashion designers. Rabanne brought his latest collection to Moscow Fashion Week along with the new Ultraviolet fragrance, very refined and unlike any other.
In Moscow, Paco Rabanne showed his new haute couture collection on the eve of the new century. Amazing dresses made of metal, combined with faux fur, in the shape of Chinese lanterns; tight dresses made of metallic jersey complete with long camisoles, plastic boleros, metal jumpers and other unusual things. Rabanne plays wonderfully with light and the optical characteristics of materials: all his models literally dazzle. The latest collection once again confirmed the master’s title as a great provocateur in the fashion world: most of those present at the show were in full confidence that the sparkling and flowing clothes were made of silk, but at the same time it was real metal.
Until Mr. Rabanne appeared on stage, it was hard to believe that he would actually honor the presentation with his presence. Nevertheless, applause was heard, and, surrounded by his retinue, a man with white hair and a beard of the same color walked onto the stage. This, in fact, was the world-famous couturier. According to Paco Rabanne, he has reverent feelings for Russia and admires the beauty of Russian women. After the end of the official part, muscular, half-naked young men appeared on the stage with mysterious glow-in-the-dark signs painted on their chests (which were probably supposed to symbolize the concept and name of the Ultraviolet scent), and began to spray the new scent as they walked around the club.
The audience saw a sophisticated silhouette, explosive colors and shapes, cutting through space with their geometry, heralding the onset of the millennium. Metallic leather combined with faux fur, dresses in the shape of Chinese lanterns, capes and jumpsuits in bright ultraviolet, piercing pink, acid green and sparkling yellow.
Cosmic look: outfits that create metallic optical illusions, chainmail covering, metallic jersey and sequin chains, complete with long camisoles and straight bodycon dresses, the sparkle of diamond meteorites. Electric frost: thin plastic film catches the light on boleros and loose satin trousers, metal jumpers knitted with huge needles, jewelry on long narrow skirts and velvet straight trousers the color of the night. In his latest collection, Rabanne recalled the most famous places of Paris, Berlin, Brussels, Sydney and New York - in paintings on silk and on sparkling silver plates. The conclusion of the collection is a wedding dress: under a golden lace mantilla, the bride, like a Russian nesting doll, is wrapped in a coat dress made of mouse-colored fur, embroidered with golden tulips.
Road of the Initiates
– We are experiencing the turn of the millennium. It becomes more difficult to identify certain things and concepts. I am a junior arts representative. There are, as you know, senior arts - music, painting, sculpture, and junior ones - design, fashion, the so-called applied ones. The lower arts shine with reflected light. They do not develop on their own, but under the influence of higher arts. Remember: when constructivism appeared, it covered all areas, including fashion. Harmony reigned. And now there has been a mixture of higher and lower arts. The era of their merger has begun. This is normal, but the highest arts have lost their leading position. They don't know where to go, they can't offer a new philosophy. Therefore, the lower arts also do not know where to go. Look at fashion in Paris - it’s just terrible, lack of a fundamental idea!
Relatively recently, Rabanne discovered a new area for himself. His first book, Trajectory, published in 1991, became a bestseller and sold more than 500,000 copies. Soon a second appeared - “The End of Times” (1992), in which he called on humanity to gain a deeper insight into the essence of things and moral values, to care for others. Both books have been translated into five languages. In 1994, Paco Rabanne wrote a new book, “Le Temps Present: le chemin des grand inities,” a personal guidebook on how to become brighter and more sincere in our changing age, continuing the themes of the first two books.
All the master’s delights come from his philosophy, his views on the world. There are two lights, he believes - physical light coming from the sun, and spiritual light. He tries to connect these two flows in clothes. A more prosaic explanation lies in the artist’s desire to anticipate future events.
The world's population is growing exponentially. When there are twenty billion of us, there will be no person, according to the artist, who dresses in natural fabrics. Cotton and wool will disappear. They will be replaced by metal, plastic, and mineral raw materials. He sees another direction in the use of waste. In the near future, a woman, getting out of bed in the morning, will pick up a tube or container of liquid metal and apply clothing, like a painting, directly to her body. She is her own creator, she will walk down the street in a dress that flows around the lines of her body, wrapped in a scarf or gauze mantilla.
Paco Rabanne is a famous French couturier of Basque origin, who created the fashion house of the same name, Paco Rabanne. He entered the history of fashion, first of all, thanks to his avant-garde collections of clothing made from non-traditional materials: metal, paper, plastic, rubber, and so on. Paco Rabanne's talents are diverse - he is not only a brilliant fashion designer, but also a writer, artist, and architect. Known for his charitable activities, in particular, the fight against AIDS, including in Russia.
I strove to create the image of a free, independent, independent woman who was in complete control of her life and finances.
Biography and career
...They should have died there, on the ship. All six of them - he, his mother, grandmother and three more children. But shortly before departure, little Francisco raised a cry and began to pull the adults back to shore. Two sisters and a brother joined in the heartbreaking crying. Obeying an unaccountable feeling, the mother picked up the little ones in her arms and rushed to the gangway. The rest could hardly keep up, making their way through the crowd.
The liner set sail, and immediately the sky darkened with Messerschmitts. Bombs fell, the ship caught fire and sank. Those who jumped into the water, trying to swim to the nearest shore, were finished off with machine guns. The last hope of hundreds and hundreds of refugees, the ship turned into their last refuge.
Fate gave them a reprieve. Not for long. Franco's dogs have already executed his father, a Republican general, and they will not spare his family either. This is, firstly. Secondly, they were subject to execution because the mother was a member of the Central Committee of the Spanish Communist Party. But even if the first and second had not existed, they would still have been destroyed. For being Basque.
Brakes squeal! “They're already in town! Hurry, jump into the back before all the roads are blocked!!” “Glory to Thee, Lord!” - Grandmother crossed herself. And the mother firmly shook hands with her party comrade. A few minutes later, the truck was briskly dusting towards the French border, carrying them away from danger. Five-year-old Francisco was destined to live a long and colorful life...
Basking between two fires
On February 18, 1934, the ancient land of the Basques gave the world an amazing child - Francisco Rabaneda y Cuervo. His grandmother was a healer and fortuneteller, known far beyond the borders of her native Pasakhes. She treated with herbs and occult methods. That, however, did not prevent her from being a believer and pious. Helping the old healer, the clever grandson adopted part of her knowledge.
“Pako (crow, Greek), the time will come, and you will learn the power of the stone and the secrets of the herbs. Signs left by those long gone will be revealed to you...” The raven, the grandmother said, is the patron saint of their family. Cuervo is Spanish and means "raven".
The gray-haired sorceress’s speeches were intoxicating, like smoke from a shaman’s fire... but the mother’s casually thrown phrase was sobering, like a bucket of cold water: “Opium for the people! What football, what religion is yours! Go get busy." She worked at Balenciaga, sewing around the clock, so the housekeeping fell on the shoulders of the children.
True, the mother had nothing against drawing - and little Francisco drew. What came out was reminiscent of the world in which the boy grew up: black and white, material and spiritual. United, indivisible and eternally contradicting each other. Later, the drawings will help him enter the National School of Arts, the Faculty of Architecture.
Hand of the Father of Nations
Moscow... Mother often talked about her. In 1950, as a comrade of Dolores Ibárruri and the widow of a Red general, she was honored with a reception by Stalin himself. She was allowed to take her son with her.
Francisco knew nothing about repressions and the Gulag. Here he is, the Father of Nations - great, wise, fair... But why are his eyes the eyes of a demon?! Why is his hand on the back of his head so heavy and cold?? The young man left the Kremlin in a semi-fainting state.
Early creativity
Students go to such lengths to try to get money for food! Francisco had an easier time - on the recommendation of his mother, he was hired to work at the Fashion House of Cristobal Balenciaga. Having taken the young talent under its wing, the company did not lose anything: the belts, bags, and other accessories he made quickly found buyers; He knew how to turn even a simple button into something eye-catching.
But the true hobby of the young Rabaneda was jewelry. Thanks to him, the fashion world heard the ringing word “rhodoid”. The plastic we were used to then, in the early 60s, was exotic. Lightweight, inexpensive designer rhodoid jewelry has become a hit among young people.
When orders began to arrive from Givenchy, Yves Saint Laurent and Dior, it became clear that the name of the architect Francisco Rabaneda would never be heard. But on everyone’s lips was the name of a promising designer - Paco Rabanne.
Goodbye templates!
Unwearable. Unwearable - that’s what he called his first collection of a dozen dresses. In the annotation for the show there was a phrase that did not clarify much: “clothes made from modern materials.” But the audience, knowing the author’s penchant for shocking behavior, flocked to the hall.
Music greeted the visitors. This was already unusual - hitherto fashion shows were accompanied only by comments.
Under the frantic, provoking rhythms of Pierre Boulet, they fluttered onto the podium - slender, barefoot, sparkling with dazzling smiles... Dark-skinned. Every single one. Innovation? Yes. And at the same time – a forced step. The fact is that the dresses presented were truly impossible to wear. Plates, rings and other structures made of metal and plastic lay perfectly on the figure - when this very figure was motionless. When moving, their edges dug into the body, causing pain and leaving terrible bruises. White-skinned models refused to participate in the fashion show in horror! The daughters of Africa turned out to be much more patient. And, besides, bruises are not visible on dark skin...
If the girls had read Bulgakov, they would have remembered Margarita at Woland’s ball - how she kindly smiled at the guests, exhausted in her tormenting outfit... But the cheerful mulatto girls never opened The Master and Margarita, and therefore did not compare themselves with anyone. They just kept dancing.
Shock. Storm of indignation. Journalists leaving the hall in protest. One of the ladies felt sick - she still saw scratches on the girl’s skin... “This is not a couturier, this is a metallurgist. Locksmith!!” – Madame Chanel grabbed her head.
However, after cooling down a little, the audience realized: yes, this is it! That daring beginning that was so lacking in the respectable world of fashion. Paco Rabanne became everyone's favorite - this is how a tomboy, finding himself in the company of well-bred children, becomes the ringleader.
In the same 1966, the restless fashion designer demonstrated a collection of dresses made of... paper. Something ephemeral, momentary - as a counterbalance to the “eternal” metal. Thus, with the light hand of Paco Rabanne, the concept of disposable clothing was born.
Paper dresses Flight of the Raven: Gaining Altitude
The “enfant terrible of Parisian fashion” did not remain homeless for long. In 1967, a Paco Rabanne boutique opened in the capital. Nearby, in the semi-basement floor, there was a workshop, from where the blows of a hammer and the hum of a blowtorch could be heard: a couturier-mechanic was sculpting another product.
Only brave women dared to dress by Paco Rabanne. And strong. Literally, physically - his dress could weigh 10, 15, or more kilograms. However, fashionistas not only wore these weighty outfits, but also danced dashingly in them at discos, sending bunnies flying across the walls. Speaking of bunnies: it seems that all the movie stars tried on the famous dress, consisting of hundreds and hundreds of small round mirrors.
Mirror dress Jules Verne haute couture, Raban experimented with the boldness of a true engineer. They used laser discs and door handles, disposable cups, rubber, minerals, wire and everything else that came into his field of vision. Ancient warriors and cyborg women walked along the podium. Either translucent inhabitants of the depths, or suddenly - creatures of other worlds, beautiful and inaccessible, bristling with thorns...
Playfully, the master invented something that has the right to take a place in the golden fund of light industry. Knitted fur, for example. Or shiny yarn, the so-called “aluminum jersey”. By the way: the couturier does not use real fur as a matter of principle. He is a convinced vegetarian.
And only the basis of fundamental fashion—fabric—remained his stepdaughter. Fabric did not play first or even second fiddle in his creations. She was allowed to serve as a link between metal and leather, glass and plastic. Or be a lining. Looking ahead: “smart” fabrics of the 21st century bring the maestro into genuine delight! No wonder he always called himself a man from the future.
From different collections Over time, clothes from Paco Rabanne became quite “wearable” and no longer injured their owners. And at the same time it acquired an even more futuristic design. The design and assembly techniques were, to put it mildly, non-trivial - lectures on architectural design and thermomech made themselves felt.
As they say, filmmakers have their eyes on his work. First there were “Two on the Road” and Les poneuttes (1967), but “Barbarella” (1968), a fantasy in the genre of, as they would now say, an erotic thriller, brought real fame. The couturier created costumes for another 35 films. Plus - dozens of theater and ballet productions.
Stills from the films “Two for the Road” and “Barbarella” In his outfits, Brigitte Bardot and Ursula Andress, Mylene Farmer, Elizabeth Taylor, Sylvie Vartan and the already mentioned above Barbarella, that is, Jane Fonda, shone (and also rustled, rang, rustled and strummed). Françoise Hardy, actress and astrologer, was his devoted fan.
Paco Rabanne created the dresses with his own hands. Some were born in a matter of hours, while others had to be worked on for months, laboring over soldering and holography. There are relatively few of them, copyright ones, a little more than three thousand. Each one is unique and worthy of becoming a museum exhibit. This is where you can see them - in museums in Paris, Tokyo, Beijing and New York.
Everything he once created continues to attract extraordinary individuals, like a magnet (by the way, the master also has magnets in his arsenal). A striking example of this is Patricia Kaas and Lady Gaga.
Language of smells
...The crown of the huge tree trembled and went down. Faster and faster, cutting the air with branches with a whistle... Impact!! Well, the job is done, you can rest. The man leaned on the ax handle, wiped away the sweat and then noticed under his feet... An orchid? The lumberjack was not good at botany. Without thinking twice, he picked a flower and took it to the hut where his young wife was busy.
This simple story was told by... perfume. Once causing a lot of buzz, Pour Homme has a little-known feature - it is able to adapt to a person's individual scent, working in tandem. It was preceded by the female Calandre, conveying the pulse of the big city; The word “autolady” was not known in 1969, but Calandre was just for her.
The history of Paco Rabanne fragrances is rich in hits. It so happens that they are mostly male: the passionate XS, which gives goosebumps (to the opposite sex), 1 Million for the successful, Ultraviolet for those who feel at home in virtual reality. However, the “excellent” options that appeared a little later are in no way inferior to the “strong” ones.
In his declining years, the master lost interest in haute couture, and in 1999 he completely left the House of the same name, handing over the business to young, energetic, and no less inventive successors. The latest shows are eloquent: the work of the Great Fashion Provocateur is alive and well.
Manish Arora for Paco Rabanne Not by fashion alone
"Continue!" - said Salvador Dali, seeing his drawings. And Raban continued. Secretly from everyone. The secret became clear in 2006, when an exhibition of the artist opened in Moscow. Why Russia? Apparently, what I experienced in childhood took its toll. And, besides, as the hot Spaniard admitted, he admires the beauty of Russian women. And then I noticed: beauty, both physical and mental.
The soul, its secrets, the heights and abysses through which it sometimes wanders... Paco Rabanne’s books are dedicated to this, to date there are five of them. Including such a bestseller as “Trajectory” (1991), and the no less sensational “The End of Times” (Fin des temps, 1994). “Ariadne’s Thread”, released in 2005, closes the cycle. Those who are not averse to wandering into the labyrinths of esotericism will be happy to read them all.
Awards
People love those who give strong emotions. The brilliant Basque was showered with a generous stream of awards. He received his first, Beauty Products Industry, in 1969 for Calandre. The famous Pour Homme won the Fragrance Foundation Recognition Award in 1974. Then there were the Golden Needle and the Golden Thimble, the Order of Isabella the Catholic (Spain's highest award), and the French Legion of Honor. In 2001, the maestro accepted the Gold Medal “For Achievement in Art” from the hands of Juan Carlos, King of Spain. And, as a final note, the National Fashion Design Award (2010).
People attack those who disturb them. As soon as they didn’t call him! A scandalous man, a craftsman and (see above) a provocateur. A charlatan and a would-be soothsayer (the Mir station did not collapse on Paris, what a disappointment!), and many, many more unflattering epithets. From this rich assortment, the ironic couturier chose the title of artisan. And he proudly repeats that, yes, he is a Craftsman. From God.
Personal life. His family is World
Time has bleached his blue-black hair, like a raven's wing. Soon, he says, I will be on the road again. Again - because he remembers all his past lives. Over 78 thousand years there were many, many of them...
The descendant of the Crow family never created a family. So what? Women loved him, he loved them. Is this not enough? And he also loved (and loves) Genesis itself. And he finds the strength and means to help those who feel bad. Help, not talk about help. Now, not later. He publishes art magazines at his own expense and opens cultural centers in Third World countries. A certain percentage of the sales of Paco Rabanne perfumes goes to the AIDS Foundation. And when the tragedy happened in Beslan, the artist created a painting dedicated to it. And he transfers all the money from the sale of sketches to mothers who lost their children back then.
For a person of this magnitude, our entire planet is family.
From an interview
Metal is often found in your collections; you have created many dresses made of metal. Why do you like this particular material so much?
P: I love light, reflection, glare. In addition, now we are in the era of Aquarius, the era of light, I think metal, like no other material, is relevant right now. It is also a symbol of a female warrior, both ancient and modern.
Do you have any restrictions?
P: It's very simple. My mother, who loved fashion, always told me: “You are free in everything, except for one thing: you cannot encroach on the beauty of a woman.” A woman is a miracle, a temptation, a fashion designer has no right to make fun of her. Even using metal, paper and other materials, I did everything to make the woman beautiful, like a goddess. That's my only limitation.
In which area does your creativity reveal itself more fully: in fashion or perfumery?
P: First of all, in fashion. But fragrances are a very important addition to clothing, affecting a person's sense of smell. For thirty years now I have been trying to make sure that my perfumes and my clothing collections are interconnected.
You are already many years old. What is the secret of your energy?
P: Smile and work. I never pretend, I am who I am. Death doesn't scare me. It is simply a transition from one astral state to another. Even when I turn a hundred years old, I will be young, because at heart I am still fifteen.
What are you doing now?
Finally, I had time for numerous hobbies - drawing, creating interiors, furniture, household utensils. And of course, books. I have written eight books in total.
What do you think is the future of high fashion?
P: It seems to me that high fashion is dying, just like the noble families for whom all these magnificent outfits were created are dying out. When I entered the world of high fashion, in 1965, there were thirty couturiers, now there are only seven. But even they are not able to sell everything they create. They are being replaced by cheap, uniform clothing, simple and identical, often made in China; at best, ready-to-wear collections.
What advice do you have for young designers?
P: A person who starts his career in the fashion business today must be prepared to face enormous competition. You need nerves of steel, because you will constantly be compared with other designers. You need to create something completely new, defend your point of view, prove that you are a real creator. Do not copy under any circumstances. It should be your own closed world. I think these tips are suitable not only for young fashion designers, but for all creative people.
16 February 2010, 12:46Francisco Rabanerro Querro (Francisco Rabaneda-Cuervo) was born in San S:) stian (Spain) on February 18, 1934. However, today he is known under the name Paco Rabanne. In Spanish, “Paco” translates to “raven.” The fashion designer changed the name given by his parents and shortened his surname to make it easier to pronounce. 
As a child, when Franco came to power in Spain, Paco's family was forced to emigrate to the USSR. A few years later they moved to France, where in 1952 Paco entered the National School of Fine Arts (Paris) majoring in architecture. Already during his studies, Rabanne began creating shoes, bags and jewelry for French fashion designers. He worked for the House of Balenciaga and then for Hubert de Givenchy. However, he gained his most significant experience at the Christian Dior Fashion House. The designer demonstrated his first haute couture collection in 1966, which he called “12 experimental and unwearable models made from modern materials.” The designer tried to make maximum use of plastic and metal, which were the most popular at that time. The collection was received ambiguously, but thanks to the revolutionary aesthetics of the 60s, which favored the development of everything new and unusual, it was nevertheless accepted by the fashion community as a result of new realities in fashion. Subsequently, the designer began to attract even more attention through the laces he invented made of fabric and metal, antenna hats, chain mail made of metal, paper dresses and various combinations of plastic, leather and aluminum. In 1967, Paco Rabanne founded his own fashion house in Paris. In 1968, in addition to a collection that included aluminum jerseys, the designer created costumes for the film “Barbarella.” The following year, Paco presented his first fragrance, “Calandre,” which was named after the car. For this perfume, Paco Rabanne was awarded the “Beauty Products Industry” prize. “Paco Rabanne Pour Home” appeared in ’73, “Metal” appeared in ’79, and “La Nuit” appeared in ’85. 
At the First International Fashion Festival in 1985, the designer was awarded the Fashion Honors award. In 1986, Paco Rabanne created his new fragrance “Sport” and only two years later - “Tenere”. 
In 1988, the designer created a collection of dresses, sewing which he used laser discs. His meetings became increasingly eccentric. Paco began to use holographic fabric and organic glass. In 1989, the fashion designer created his first women's collection of the “Prêt-a-Porter” class, and a year later the men’s collection. This year, the fashion designer was awarded Spain's highest award, the Order of Isabella the Catholic, and received the title of Chevalier of the Legion of Honor in France. In 1990, Paco Rabanne was awarded the Golden Thimble award for a collection in which he used metal threads and records, as well as vinyl. This approach to creating models is “standard” for couturiers. After all, it was he who invented the aluminum knitwear. In 1991, Paco Rabanne published his first book entitled “Trajectory”, and the next year a new creation “The End of Times” appeared. In 1993, he created his most popular perfume for men, “XS” (Excess Pour Homme). In 1994, Paco again published a new book, “The Present: The Road of the Initiates” (Le Temps Present: le chemin des grand inities). 
In 2000, the fashion designer announced his retirement from the world of High Fashion due to the fact that it was unprofitable. In 2001, a retrospective exhibition of the designer’s works was held in Burgos (Spain). In the same year, King Juan Carlos of Spain awarded the fashion designer a gold medal “For Achievements in Fine Arts.” 
In addition to fashion, Paco Rabanne is engaged in painting and graphics. In 2005, he presented an exhibition of his works at the Central House of Artists in Moscow. The following year, his graphics were seen in Togliatti, Samara, Kazan, Sochi, Novosibirsk and St. Petersburg. 
Dress assembled
Dress on sale)
Paco Rabanne- French Couturier, fashion designer, designer originally from Spain.
Brief biography of Paco Rabanne
Paco Rabanne (real name Francisco Rabaneda y Cuervo) was born in Basque Country (Spain) in 1934, but in 1939 after the death of his father, his family moved to France. He was raised by his mother, who was a member of the Spanish Socialist Party, and his grandmother, who was interested in religion. Since childhood, Paco Rabanne was somewhat tied to the world of fashion, as his mother worked for the famous Spanish fashion designer Cristobal Balenciaga. In 1950, Paco visited Moscow with his mother.
At the age of 18, Rabanne entered the National School of Fine Arts. To pay for his studies, Paco worked part-time at the Balenciaga Fashion House, making accessories and jewelry. He used new materials, such as rhodoid, a high-quality plastic based on cellulose acetate, which offered scope for imagination and were somewhat unusual and non-standard. Lightweight, colorful and inexpensive, his products attracted the attention of young buyers. Gradually, Paco began to create other accessories: handbags, belts, and collaborate with Givenchy, Dior, Yves Saint Laurent and other famous designers. By 1965, he had sold more than 20,000 pieces of jewelry and accessories.
In the early 60s, changes began to occur in the fashion world. Architects, turning away from stone, turned to metal, and painters - to bright neon. So Paco Rabanne presented his first collection in 1966, which consisted of 12 dresses that were made of plastic and metal. In their manufacture, pliers and a blowtorch were used. The model demonstrated the collection barefoot. The first collection was so unusual that it shocked the public, but brought Rabanne recognition and fame among fashion designers in Paris.
After the first collection, Paco continued to amaze the public and released clothes made from paper, leather, metal, and feathers. For dresses in 1988, the designer used laser discs, which conveyed an unusual reflective effect. In all his outfits, femininity is combined with ultra-modern eclecticism, cosmic motifs echo the business office style.
Paco Rabanne perfumes
In 1969, Paco decided to release his own perfume, “Calandre,” which received recognition. Calandre is a machine for continuously molding a sheet of polymer or paper. The bottle with a metal rim was associated with New York and contained the scent of cypress inside. Paco also created such fragrances as PacoRabanne PourHomme (1973), Metal (1979), LaNuit (1985), Sport (1986), Tenere (1988), XS (Excess Pour Homme) (1993). XS is one of the most sold men's fragrances.
Paco Rabanne watch
Of course, only a design is created for a watch, and they are usually made by a well-known watch company. It was exactly the same with Rabanne. In collaboration with MONTRES AMBRE SA, Paco Rabanne watches were released, which are characterized by concern for the environment and are therefore made from recycled materials. Paco does not have women's or men's collections; there are different sizes of watches. That is, all watches are unisex, they can be worn by both women and men. Simple shapes and embossed bodies are what captivates Rabanne buyers.
Costumes for cinema
Rabanne's unusual outfits penetrated cinema. Of course, they were so unusual that they attracted special attention. Hollywood celebrities Françoise Hardy, Jane Fonda, Audrey Hepburn starred in Rabanne's costumes. Over the years, Ursula Dileret, Sylvie Vartan, Patricia Kaas, Brigitte Bardot wore these unusual dresses made of feathers, metal and paper.
The inimitable Paco Rabanne
Paco Rabanne received many awards, including: the Beauty Products Industry Prize for Calandre (1969), the Fragrance Foundation Recognition Award for the composition and packaging of Paco Rabanne Pour Homme (1974). ), "Golden Needle" - for the Haute Couture collection (1997), award for contribution to fashion at the First International Fashion Festival (1985), "Golden Thimble" (1990), Paco Rabanne also became a Knight of the Legion of Honor in France.
Rabanne's ready-to-wear lines (the first appeared in the early 80s) were shown at numerous international exhibitions and aroused no less admiration than his haute couture designs. On five continents, boutiques and representative offices worked for the Raso Rabanne brand.
For many years, Rabanne's works have been exhibited in the best museums and festivals in the world. In 1989, in recognition of his talent and for his active contribution to numerous humanitarian projects, Paco Rabanne was awarded the highest order of Spain, the Order of Isabella the Catholic.
In 1991, Rabanne published his book “Trajectory,” which became a bestseller and sold half a million copies. Soon Rabanne wrote the book “The End of Times,” followed by “The Present Time: The Road of the Initiates.” In 1999, the book “Heavenly Fire” was published.
However, in 1999, this amazing artist announced his retirement from the world of high fashion and left Paris altogether.
One of the reasons why Rabanne had to leave Paris was an error in prediction. He predicted the catastrophe of Paris on the day of the August solar eclipse of 1999. When this did not come true, the fashion designer was subjected to severe attacks in the press.
Paco Rabanne has been painting for many years, but he has never exhibited his artwork publicly. For the first time, the artist presented his works at an exhibition at the Central House of Artists in Moscow. The official opening of the exhibition took place on October 1, 2005 and lasted until the 14th. In May 2008, the master visited the Russian capital again, this time he came on a three-day visit to take part in the opening of the Veronica Janvi Fashion House.
Where can I buy
Unfortunately, the official website does not contain store addresses, and from the countries that are on the website, Ukraine is not available. Therefore, the nearest official Paco Rabanne store can be found in Russia or Poland. However, there are many online stores that sell Paco Rabanne perfumes. Just be careful not to buy a fake!
(1934-02-18 ) (85 years old) K:Wikipedia:Articles without images (type: not specified)
Paco Raban(fr. Paco Rabanne), born Francisco Rabanada y Cuervo(Spanish) Francisco Rabaneda and Cuervo
); genus. February 18, Pasajes, Spain) is a French couturier of Basque origin, a revolutionary in the fashion world of the 1960s. Known for his beliefs regarding reincarnation. The couturier Raban wrote 5 books about his work.
Biography and creativity
Paco Raban (then Francisco Rabaneda) was born in the Basque Country; After his father's death, his family moved to France. His mother worked for the famous Spanish Basque fashion designer Cristobal Balenciaga, she was a staunch communist, and Paco visited Moscow with her in 1950. In France, Paco studied architecture, but after completing his studies he did not work in his profession, although he later used his architectural knowledge in clothing design. While still a student, he began making accessories and jewelry. Paco used new materials (for example, RIdoid, a high-quality plastic based on cellulose acetate), which offered scope for imagination. Lightweight, colorful and inexpensive, his products attracted the attention of young buyers. In 1965, about twenty thousand copies of Raban's suits were sold.
Today Paco Rabanne works together with Rosemary Rodriguez, who, in modern collections of the Paco Rabanne trademark, adapts the principles of couturier inventions to the image of today's woman.
Currently, the Paco Rabanne brand belongs to the Spanish company Puig, a manufacturer of fashionable clothing and perfumes.
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Notes
Links
- Shevelev I.. "Rossiyskaya Gazeta" - Capital Issue No. 3889 (October 3, 2005). Retrieved April 12, 2012.
An excerpt characterizing Paco Rabanne
- What's happened? What's happened? Who are they shooting at? Who's shooting? - Rostov asked, matching the Russian and Austrian soldiers running in mixed crowds across his road.- The devil knows them? Beat everyone! Get lost! - the crowds of people running and not understanding, just like him, what was happening here, answered him in Russian, German and Czech.
- Beat the Germans! - one shouted.
- Damn them - traitors.
“Zum Henker diese Ruesen... [To hell with these Russians...],” the German grumbled something.
Several wounded were walking along the road. Curses, screams, moans merged into one common roar. The shooting died down and, as Rostov later learned, Russian and Austrian soldiers were shooting at each other.
"My God! what is this? - thought Rostov. - And here, where the sovereign can see them at any moment... But no, these are probably just a few scoundrels. This will pass, this is not it, this cannot be, he thought. “Just hurry up, pass them quickly!”
The thought of defeat and flight could not enter Rostov’s head. Although he saw French guns and troops precisely on Pratsenskaya Mountain, on the very one where he was ordered to look for the commander-in-chief, he could not and did not want to believe it.
Near the village of Pratsa, Rostov was ordered to look for Kutuzov and the sovereign. But here not only were they not there, but there was not a single commander, but there were heterogeneous crowds of frustrated troops.
He urged his already tired horse to get through these crowds as quickly as possible, but the further he moved, the more upset the crowds became. The high road on which he drove out was crowded with carriages, carriages of all kinds, Russian and Austrian soldiers, of all branches of the military, wounded and unwounded. All this hummed and swarmed in a mixed manner to the gloomy sound of flying cannonballs from the French batteries placed on the Pratsen Heights.
- Where is the sovereign? where is Kutuzov? - Rostov asked everyone he could stop, and could not get an answer from anyone.
Finally, grabbing the soldier by the collar, he forced him to answer himself.
- Eh! Brother! Everyone has been there for a long time, they have fled ahead! - the soldier said to Rostov, laughing at something and breaking free.
Leaving this soldier, who was obviously drunk, Rostov stopped the horse of the orderly or the guard of an important person and began to question him. The orderly announced to Rostov that an hour ago the sovereign had been driven at full speed in a carriage along this very road, and that the sovereign was dangerously wounded.
“It can’t be,” said Rostov, “that’s right, someone else.”
“I saw it myself,” said the orderly with a self-confident grin. “It’s time for me to know the sovereign: it seems like how many times I’ve seen something like this in St. Petersburg.” A pale, very pale man sits in a carriage. As soon as the four blacks let loose, my fathers, he thundered past us: it’s time, it seems, to know both the royal horses and Ilya Ivanovich; It seems that the coachman does not ride with anyone else like the Tsar.
Rostov let his horse go and wanted to ride on. A wounded officer walking past turned to him.
-Who do you want? – asked the officer. - Commander-in-Chief? So he was killed by a cannonball, killed in the chest by our regiment.
“Not killed, wounded,” another officer corrected.
- Who? Kutuzov? - asked Rostov.
- Not Kutuzov, but whatever you call him - well, it’s all the same, there aren’t many alive left. Go over there, to that village, all the authorities have gathered there,” said this officer, pointing to the village of Gostieradek, and walked past.
Rostov rode at a pace, not knowing why or to whom he would go now. The Emperor is wounded, the battle is lost. It was impossible not to believe it now. Rostov drove in the direction that was shown to him and in which a tower and a church could be seen in the distance. What was his hurry? What could he now say to the sovereign or Kutuzov, even if they were alive and not wounded?
“Go this way, your honor, and here they will kill you,” the soldier shouted to him. - They'll kill you here!
- ABOUT! what are you saying! said another. -Where will he go? It's closer here.
Rostov thought about it and drove exactly in the direction where he was told that he would be killed.
“Now it doesn’t matter: if the sovereign is wounded, should I really take care of myself?” he thought. He entered the space where most of the people fleeing from Pratsen died. The French had not yet occupied this place, and the Russians, those who were alive or wounded, had long abandoned it. On the field, like heaps of good arable land, lay ten people, fifteen killed and wounded on every tithe of space. The wounded crawled down in twos and threes together, and one could hear their unpleasant, sometimes feigned, as it seemed to Rostov, screams and moans. Rostov started to trot his horse so as not to see all these suffering people, and he became scared. He feared not for his life, but for the courage that he needed and which, he knew, would not withstand the sight of these unfortunates.
