Launched in 1966, the brand has been rewriting the fashion rulebook for 50 years. Formed by Spanish born designer Paco Rabanne, today the brand collaborates with Puig Fragrance Company to create some of the world’s best known perfumes and aftershaves.

Francisco ‘Paco’ Rabanne Cuervo was born on 18th February 1934 in the Spanish town of Pasajes, Gipukoa province. His father was executed in the Spanish Civil War, his mother was the head seamstress at the Spanish couture house of Balenciaga. Paco and his mother fled to France in 1939. Paco designed handbags and shoes for small fashion houses to finance his studies in architecture. In 1959 Women’s Wear Daily published seven sketches of dresses signed ‘Franck Rabanne’ he only began using the name ‘paco’ professionally in 1965.

Paco in his early career designed jewellery for Givenchy, Dior and Balenciaga but by 1966 he had caused a storm in the fashion world and founded his own fashion house. His first show took place February 1st, 1966 at the Hotel George V. The collection was named ‘Twelve Unwearable Dresses in Contemporary Materials’. Paco was infamous for using materials such as paper, plastic and metal for his flamboyant designs such as the iconic mini-skirted metallic dress. In 1968, he began collaborating with Puig, a fragrance company which started the Rabanne’s perfume empire. He produced a series of sophisticated perfumes as well as his numerous licences for other products around the world that made his fashion experiments able to continue. In 1999 Rabanne decided to step down from haute couture activity.

The collection has expanded over the decades to include the top selling Paco Rabanne 1 Million range for men and Paco Rabanne Lady Million for women as well as Lady Million Eau My Gold, Paco Rabanne Invictus, Paco Rabanne Black XS and Paco Rabanne Ultraviolet. Each fragrance has its own unique character, but all are distinctly different, daring, and to their core, definitively Paco Rabanne.