PACO RABANNE

Paco Rabanne was a Spanish born designer whose mother was chief seamstress at Balenciaga's first couture house. Studying architecture first in Paris, he went on to design jewellery for Givenchy and Dior. Rabanne founded his fashion house in 1966. His debut collection was titled "Manifesto: 12 unwearable dresses in contemporary materials" and favoured unusual materials such as metal, paper and plastic. His outlandish couture drew much adoration; Jane Fonda's green costume in Barbarella was by Paco and Francois Hardy was a devoted fan.