Paco Rabanne, iconic fashion designer, dies at 88

French-Spanish fashion designer and perfume magnate Paco Rabanne died on Friday at the age of 88, his company confirmed. 

"The House of Paco Rabanne wishes to honor 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,'' read a statement form parent company Puig.

Born in during the Spanish Civil War in 1934, Rabanne's father was killed by the forces of fascist dictator Francisco Franco in 1937. His mother subsequently moved the family to Paris, where she worked for fashion house Balenciaga.

Rabanne began his career designed jewelry for Balenciaga, Givenchy, and Dior before launching his own label in 1966.

Space-age provocateur

Rabanne was nicknamed "Wacko Paco" for his at times extremely avant-garde designs and eccentric ideas.

He was a co-creator, alongside the likes of Pierre Cardin, of the space-age fashion movement. He dressed French icons like Brigitte Bardot and Francoise Hardy, as well as designing Jane Fonda's famous "Barbarella" costume.

In 1966 he shook up the fashion world when he presented a collection called "12 Unwearble Dresses." The show featured barefoot models wearing outfits made out of sharp metals and other unlikely materials.

In a 2016 retrospective, Rabanne wrote of his design philosophy that he wanted to go "as far as is reasonable for one's time and not indulge in the morbid pleasure of the known things, which I view as decay."

Later in life, Rabanne was known for his extremely successful line of fragrances, as well as for his writings on subjects like the predictions of Nostradamus. He also made many mystical claims, saying he had had multiple lives, personally seen God, and met with aliens.

es/jcg (AP, AFP, dpa)