Growing up with an atheist mother and a grandmother who believed in magic, Dalí encouraged him to draw: The Life of Paco Rabanne
The fashion scene has lost another big name. Legendary fashion designer Paco Rabanne has died at the age of 88 at his home in France.
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Early childhood
Paco Raban was born on February 18, 1934 in San Sebastian, Spain. He was born Francisco Rabaneda e Cuervo. His father was a general, in 1937, during the Spanish Civil War, he was shot by Francoists.
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In 1939, after the death of his father, Francisco moved to France with his mother and grandmother. According to the fashion designer himself, "these women had a huge influence on him, even though they had directly opposite views on the world."
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His grandmother was extremely religious and at the same time believed in magic. His mother, on the contrary, was an atheist and a convinced communist. Paco's mother was head seamstress at Cristóbal Balenciaga's first fashion house in Donostia, Basque Country.
Education and fashion beginnings
Architecture was his first love. Over the years, that love was woven into everything he created. In 1952, Francisco enrolled in studies at the National School of Fine Arts, in the architecture department. To pay for his studies, he created fashion accessories and decorative objects for Balenciaga. During this period, his mother worked at the Fashion House, she was an assistant to Cristobal Balenciaga.
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By the 1960s Francisco Rabaneda e Cuervo decided to change his name and shortened it to Franck Raban. The designer believed that the mystical number 13 (the number of letters in Franck Rabban's first and last name) was supposed to bring him luck.
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After some time, he changed his name to Paco Rabanne. Paco is a shortened form of the name Francisco and means "raven" in Greek.
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In the Cuervo family, this bird was considered the patron saint of the family. Thus, from 1965, the designer began to sign his creations with the name "Paco Rabanne".
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The world learned about Paco
Everyone celebrated his unusual style and boldness expressed through unforgettable fashion designs and unusual materials. It became his trademark by which he was recognizable.
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In 1966, the designer presented his first haute couture collection called "12 Dresses Made of Modern Materials You Shouldn't Wear".
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To showcase Raban's work, 12 barefoot, dark-skinned models took to the catwalk to musical accompaniment. They wore clothes made of plastic and metal. One set was created from aluminum plates and brass wire, the other from pliers and similar elements. The collection was a huge success. The name of Paco Rabanne became known all over the world.
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Encouraged by an enthusiastic American following and the spirit of experimentation of the 60s, Raban moved from plastic to metal, paper and fur, dressing Mia Farrow, Audrey Hepburn and Jane Fonda along the way. Although his designs were unconventional, he once stated, “I'm one of the most classic fashion designers. "Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Givenchy and Cardin are baroque."
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In 1968, he created the legendary green creation that Jane Fonda wore in the sci-fi film "Barbarella" and it catapulted him to the stars as the film achieved cult status, and many praised the aesthetics of the overall realization.
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In the same year, he started working with a perfume company, and eight years later he built a perfume factory in France.
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His private life was a mystery
Little was known about Paco's private life. The designer keeps his intimate life away from the public eye. He was very secretive about this matter. There is no information about whether Paco has his own descendants.
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Also, he never spoke publicly about his assets and earnings, but his wealth was estimated at $28 million.
