Following in the footsteps of an esteemed list of fashion houses including Versace, Erdem, Giambattista Valli, Moschino Simone Rocha and more, Rabanne is the latest to partner with the Swedish retail giant on a capsule collection launching November 9th, 2023.
Previously known as Paco Rabanne after the innovative and revered late Spanish designer that founded the brand, this year the fashion house announced it would be re-branding as Rabanne.
The new range, to be called Rabanne H&M, brings the iconic futuristic visions of Paco Rabanne into the modern age under the creative guidance of Julien Dossena, who has been leading design for the brand as creative director since 2014.
Established by Spanish-born Paco Rabanne in 1966, the label originally became known for Rabanne’s avant-garde vision teamed with modern values, creating garments and accessories from surprising industrial materials like plastic and metal. Most well-known were a collection of ingenious and sexy metal mini dresses and chainmail accessories that became a sensation in the 60s and 70s. Elements of these designs have carried through the decades and the popular chainmail is still a key part of new collections in the brand’s fashion and accessories.
Now, those signatures have been interpreted for a global audience. Just in time for party-season, the Rabanne H&M pieces will be ideal for a Down Under summer, with outfits that effortlessly transition from the 1970s pool party to the contemporary cocktail hour. There are shimmering disc-o-rama dresses, leopard print, bold geometrics and plenty more besides. The famous chainmail can be seen in accessories and there are plenty of sequins to be found.
The collection includes womenswear, menswear, shoes and accessories, as well as a H&M Home décor capsule that complements the fashion collection.
“I approached this collection with a desire to create an inclusive, instinctive vision of fun, drawing out the playful side of Rabanne with the chainmail and sequin pieces and offsetting them with 1970s tailoring and leisurewear,” explains Julien Dossena, creative director of Rabanne, of the range for H&M.
“Paco Rabanne was a genius when it came to radical design and innovative materials; I’m excited to take that philosophy further with a collection that makes our icons more accessible and also pushes the boundaries of sustainability.”
In a natural continuation of founder Paco Rabanne’s obsession with materiality but with a 2023 twist, the iconic metallic mesh pieces feature a blend of recycled and conventional metal, the result of months of development and a first for H&M and for Rabanne. Meanwhile the embellished items feature recycled-polyethyleneterephthalate (PET) sequins and recycled-glass rhinestones.
It has been a significant year for Rabanne the brand overall. In February founder Paco Rabanne passed away aged 88 at his home in France.
In June, along with the announcement of the house’s re-brand, it revealed a new line of Rabanne makeup and has been busy with new fragrance launches too. Following the launch of its key new perfumes Fame and Phantom last year, housed in robotic looking bottles (with the feminine version fittingly wearing a chainmail ‘dress’) the house has just released new versions with a more intense ,evening-appropriate twist on the original scents, with new Fame Parfum and Phantom Parfum.
Rabanne H&M will launch on November 9th, 2023, at H&M’s Commercial Bay, Auckland store.
