Paco Rabanne: Spanish perfume and fashion designer dies aged 88 - has cause of death been released?

Spanish fashion and perfume designer Paco Rabanne has died at the age of 88, his former emponymous brand has confirmed.

Rabanne, whose real name was Francisco Rabaneda y Cuervo, died in Portshall, Britanny on 3 February. The artist was famed for his space-age designs in the 1960s and became one of the most renowned names in the French fashion world.

His unconventional use of metal and plastics in textiles earned him the moniker of the ‘enfant terrible’ of the 1960s French fashion movement - a name often given to rebellious and unconventional ‘geniuses’ within the art world. He is also known across the world for his fragrances. His Paco Rabanne brand has been controlled by Spanish company Puig since he exited the company two decades ago.

In a statement on Instagram, the fashion house said: “The House of Paco Rabanne wishes to honour our visionary designer and founder who passed away today at the age of 88. Among the most seminal fashion figures of the 20th century, his legacy will remain a constant source of inspiration.

“We are grateful to Monsieur Rabanne for establishing our avant-garde heritage and defining a future of limitless possibilities.”

Who was Paco Rabanne?

Paco Rabanne was born Francisco Rabaneda y Cuervo on 18 February, 1934. He was born in the Spanish town of Pasaia.

Fashion flowed through his veins - his mother was chief seamstress at Balenciaga. The family moved to Paris in 1937, due in part to the Spanish Civil War and the opening of the first Balenciaga boutique in the French capital.

In his early years, he would often create fashion sketches for some of the most famous fashion houses in the world including Dior and Givenchy. He would later create jewellery for Dior, Givenchy and Balenciaga, laying the groundwork for his experiemental metallic designs later down the line.

He opened his eponymous fashion house Paco Rabanne in 1966, and quickly gained a name for himself within the French fashion scene. For his debut couture collection in 1966, he presented “12 unwearable dresses in contemporary materials”, which included a chain mail-inspired minidress made of aluminium plates.

His avant-garde, space-age creations were groundbreaking and could be seen on the likes of Jane Fonda in the 1968 film Barbarella. The designs remained iconic int he fashion world with modern-day celebrities such as Dua Lipa and Bella Hadid wearing Rabanne’s clothes at various events.

His fashion house also had commercial success with his range of perfumes, and his debut fragrance, Calandre, is still available today. Lady Million, with its eye-catching gold-capped bottle, remains a best-seller and widely available and he is also the creator of some of the most popular men’s aftershaves.

Rabanne was known for his personality off the runway just as much as his creations. Labelled an eccentric by many, he made bold claims during interviews and appearances.

This included claiming that he has lived previous lives, including one where he personally knew Jesus Christ and murdered Egyptian pharoah Tutankhamun. He also claimed to have paranormal experiences and could forsee events - in 1999 he falsely claimed that thousands of people would die in Paris and the Gers region of France after he said the Mir space station would crash to earth during the 1999 solar eclipse.