Two and a half years ago, Puig Beauty and Fashion Group announced it would stop producing the Paco Rabanne ready-to-wear line. Patrick Robinson, currently the chief designer for Gap, had designed the line since 2004. The Rabanne name has lived on in fragrances. However, Puig created the new post of vice-president, which the former director of the fragrance business Vincent Thilloy now fills. Thilloy will oversee the fragrance, fashion, and accessories divisions of the label. “I’m thinking about a new business model for the fashion,” he said. Cryptic words indeed. This could mean Rabanne will ink a bunch of new licensing deals, for things like watches and glasses, which Puig has already done. Or it could return to the runway, which is what we’re hoping for. We’re sick of all this recession/cutting-back crap.
Expanding Rabanne [British Vogue]