Designer Paco Rabanne, who was popular for his daring and unwearable runway looks in the 1960s, has died aged 88 in Brittany.
Gatekeepers News reports that Paco Rabanne whose real name was Francisco Rabaneda y Cuervo, used metal, plastic and paper to create his space-age designs, which led to him being dismissed as ‘the metal worker’ by Coco Chanel.
The designer – who was rarely seen in public after retiring in 1999 – was nicknamed ‘Wacko Paco’ and claimed to have lived multiple lives. Among them, he said he was a Parisian prostitute during the reign of Louis XV and Tutankhamun’s killer.
He believed he was 78,000 years old, had met God on multiple occasions, been visited by aliens, and had sex with the Earth.
He also predicted in 1999 that Paris would be destroyed later that year when the Russian space station Mir crashed to Earth.
A statement shared on his official Instagram account 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.”
