Mr. Paco Rabanne Passed Away at 88 years old

The collaboration between the designer and the beauty and fashion company started in late 1960s when Antonio and Mariano Puig, members of the second generation of the Puig family visited Mr. Rabanne at his offices near the Folies Bergère, in Paris and sealed a trustful and durable alliance. The relationship with Paco Rabanne established an enduring dialogue between Paris and Barcelona. Calandre, the ground-breaking fragrance released in 1969, was the first product launched by Puig in Spain, France and the US, thus paving the way for the company’s international development as well as for a fruitful, trusting and long-lasting collaboration with the designer.

“Paco Rabanne made transgression magnetic. Who else could induce fashionable Parisian women clamor for dresses made of plastic and metal? Who but Paco Rabanne could imagine a fragrance called Calandre – the word means ‘automobile grill,’ you know – and turn it into an icon of modern femininity? That radical, rebellious spirit set him apart: there is only one Rabanne. With his passing we are reminded once again of his enormous influence on contemporary fashion, a spirit that lives on in the House that bears his name,” declared Jose Manuel Albesa, President Beauty and Fashion division at Puig.

“I am deeply saddened by the passing of Mr. Paco Rabanne. The history of Puig and Paco Rabanne began in the late 1960s with the launch of Calandre, the perfume created soon after the designer released ‘12 Unwearable Dresses in Contemporary Materials.’ A major personality in fashion, his was a daring, revolutionary and provocative vision, conveyed through a unique aesthetic. He will remain an important source of inspiration for the Puig fashion and fragrance teams, who continuously work together to express Mr. Paco Rabanne’s radically modern codes. I extend my sincere condolences to his family and to those who have known him,” stated Marc Puig, Chairman and CEO.

Mr. Rabanne has played an important part in the history of Puig and has contributed to the company’s early and recent successes. As a revolutionary designer, he has marked generations with his radical vision of fashion and his legacy will live on.