PACO RABANNE (born Francisco Rabaneda Cuervo) set out to establish his namesake label in 1966. Originally from Spain where his mother was head seamstress, Rabanne moved to France with his family and grew up studingy architecture at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. There, his appreciation for art was nurtured, informing his inventive use of unconventional materials such as chainmail, aluminum jersey, and fluorescent leather. Today, the house is led by Julien Dossena, who has reinvented Rabanne’s signatures like metal mesh and chainmail dresses. Formerly from Balenciaga under Nicolas Ghesquière, Dossena brought his knack for mixing materials to create fluid forms reminiscent of the space-age era with a modern twist.
