Puig, the Fashion and Fragrance company, on 3 February, with great sadness, announced the passing of designer Paco Rabanne. The collaboration between the designer and the beauty and fashion company started in late 1960s when Antonio and Mariano Puig, members of the second generation of the Puig family visited Mr Rabanne at his offices near the Folies Bergère, in Paris and sealed a trustful and durable alliance. The relationship with Paco Rabanne established an enduring dialogue between Paris and Barcelona. Calandre, the ground-breaking fragrance released in 1969, was the first product launched by Puig in Spain, France, and the US, thus paving the way for the company's international development as well as for a fruitful, trusting and long-lasting collaboration with the designer.
"Paco Rabanne made transgression magnetic. Who else could induce fashionable Parisian women clamour for dresses made of plastic and metal? Who but Paco Rabanne could imagine a fragrance called Calandre - the word means 'automobile grill,' you know - and turn it into an icon of modern femininity? That radical, rebellious spirit set him apart: there is only one Rabanne. With his passing we are reminded once again of his enormous influence on contemporary fashion, a spirit that lives on in the House that bears his name," declared José Manuel Albesa, President Beauty and Fashion division at Puig.
"I am deeply saddened by the passing of Mr Rabanne. The history of Puig and Paco Rabanne began in the late 1960s with the launch of Calandre, the perfume created soon after the designer released '12 Unwearable Dresses in Contemporary Materials.' A major personality in fashion, his was a daring, revolutionary and provocative vision, conveyed through a unique aesthetic. He will remain an important source of inspiration for the Puig fashion and fragrance teams, who continuously work together to express Mr Rabanne's radically modern codes. I extend my sincere condolences to his family and to those who have known him," stated Marc Puig, Chairman and CEO.
Mr Rabanne has played an important part in the history of Puig and has contributed to the company's early and recent successes. As a revolutionary designer, he has marked generations with his radical vision of fashion and his legacy will live on.
About Puig
Puig creates unique and highly desirable beauty and fashion brands that empower people to reinforce their self-esteem and find their own expression, in a family company that aims to leave a better world for the next generation.
Since 1914, the company's entrepreneurial spirit, creativity and passion for innovation have made Puig a challenger in the beauty and fashion world. Present in fashion and in the three prestige beauty categories (fragrances, makeup and dermo-cosmetics) the brand's portfolio generates engagement through great storytelling that connects with people's emotions.
Puig honours the values and principles put in place by three generations of family leadership. Today it continues to build on that legacy, through conscious commitments in their ESG Agenda (environmental, social and governance) aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The brand's portfolio is structured in three divisions: Beauty and Fashion, with the owned brands Carolina Herrera, Paco Rabanne, Jean Paul Gaultier, Dries Van Noten, Nina Ricci, Byredo, Penhaligon's, L'Artisan Parfumeur, Kama Ayurveda and Loto del Sur; the licenses of Christian Louboutin and Comme des Garçons Parfums and Lifestyle fragrances, among them Antonio Banderas, Adolfo Dominguez, and Benetton. The Charlotte Tilbury division, which includes the luxury makeup brand. And the Derma division, with Uriage, Apivita and the joint venture in Isdin.
In 2021 Puig recorded sales of €2,585 million. Puig sells its products in more than 150 countries and has offices in 29 of them.