Sometimes bizarre, sometimes futuristic and always unexpected, Paco Rabanne used his architecture background to construct high-fashion garments made of new materials and techniques. Father – alongside Pierre Cardin – of the space-age fashion in the 1960′s and 1970′s, Rabanne always pushed the boundaries of his experimentation by designing eccentric dresses that – today – still influence younger designers. Some of his most famous pieces are the dress made of plastic discs linked together with fine wires, and a modern version of the chain-mail using squares of aluminium strung together with metal chains and beads in between. His vision was inexplicably diverse and delighting, when juxtaposing pieces of traditional cloth like a chiffon dress finishing a complex signature-beaded chain-mail. His garments were often worn by influential models and celebrities such as the boyish Twiggy or his muse – the French singer Francoise Hardy. Audrey Hepburn has been seen wearing his mirror chain-mail dress among many others. Paco Rabanne put his imprint on the pop industry of the 60′s like no other designers decades after.

His modernist vision also implied an explosive optimism in the fashion industry in the 1960′s. Breaking the status quo to bring a fresh air of eccentricity, new personalities and embracing new technologies. Paco Rabanne is a controversial character, yet his aura has continued to shine over the past four decades.