Julien Dossena: The Mastermind Behind Paco Rabanne’s Rebirth
Known for outer space materials, contemporary design and new age women, Paco Rabanne spawned from being a step ahead of modernity. To reinvent such an avant-garde label required no less than a designer who embodied newness with an appeal to the 21st century woman. Julien Dossena has proven to be the perfect rocket man to give this brand a new lift off and he has a flight plane to bring it back to the top of the fashion ranks.
A version of this exclusive interview first appeared in the pages of the 13th issue of ODDA Magazine.
The homepage of Paco Rabanne’s website.
What point of difference, as a designer, have you brought to Paco Rabanne?
I hope that I brought, beside my aesthetics in general, a clear vision about what should be Paco Rabanne in the present. I tried to push the effortless feeling I thought was a modern version of the brand perception and also explored in that sense other products categories which allowed us to reach a new audience for the brand.
Do you believe in aliens?
I believe in what I see in general. But I guess there is a statistic chance that aliens could exist somewhere we don’t know yet.
How did your time at Balenciaga prepare you to reinvent Paco Rabanne?
It prepared me in many ways. To take time to build my mind about what I wanted to do first.
Then, to be confident about what I loved and my choices, and also to learn how to manage a brand in a global way, from the product designs of course, to the image and the diffusion. Basically, it was the most part of my education.
What was the last thing you read?
A little book from Marguerite Duras called Écrire.
You have said Rabanne was designing for a new generation of women who didn’t want to dress like their mothers. How has this changed? Who are you designing for now?
I always try to think about every woman when I design, it just always has to be modern, and women of all generations now want to be modern and sharp. I always try to consider the lifestyle of the customers: they have to work, to give time to love, family, etc… so the aim is to give them as much as possible tools to manage this modern life in the best way.
Paco Rabanne in his time was living a cultural revolution where statements had to be expressed, when women were appropriating visually their bodies and attitudes.
The battle for this cause is not over at all, and giving women those tools is the best gift, as a designer, to help them through this fight.
What are your thoughts on the shift towards gender non-conformity in fashion design?
It’s a modern natural way to design, not thinking about the gender, it’s the more equal thing you can do. A lot of men come to the shop and buy the clothes, it’s not a statement it became organic.
A brand that thrives off innovation, what inspires the newness that continues to emanate at Paco Rabanne?
The core of the brand is built on innovation.
It’s the most important aspect of Paco Rabanne, in order to avoid the feeling of retro future. So, you always have to think how to translate that value in the present. Of course, my tastes and references are modernists, it helps. And then, you have to inject it in a balanced way to make it feel effortless and easy which is the most interesting part of it.
What is your strongest memory from childhood?
A lot of it. But, above everything, it’s the feeling to grow outdoors, by the sea.
It gives you a sense of scale that is almost infinite.
Do you have much of a relationship with Paco Rabanne? How does his influence impact on your work at the fashion house?
I never met Paco Rabanne. I would love to, but I have too much respect to provoke a meeting.
And this respect is what drives me a lot when I design for his name, based on his expression as an artist: trying to do my best to work carefully on his legacy.
Six recent posts on Julien Dossena ’s Instagram feed.
Do you watch sci-fi films? Do you have a favorite?
Sometimes yes, I watched sci-fi movies much more when I was a kid. The ones that are always coming back to my mind are the Alien series. It’s an endless source of visual inspiration.
What work of art would you most like to own?
Some Donald Judd’s painted wood structures and Sol Lewitt drawings for sure!
Also Cerith Wyn Evans mirror boxes and a beautiful David Hockney life goals! (laughs)
What role do you play in the development of the innovative materials we see in your designs?
I have a really good sourcing team and I always try to find materials with a twist: Japanese fabrics, new nylons, etc. with the same exigence that I source noble material. Innovative is great but it always has to balance with extreme quality, which is for me definition of real luxury.
What is a Queen?
It should be all women around!
Some of my male friends as well, and me too sometimes… (laughs)
Caitlin is a dynamic Australian writer based in Melbourne. Whilst completing her Bachelor of Arts at Monash University, Caitlin has developed her skills in both journalism and sartorial writing. Experience at Virgin Melbourne Fashion Festival and Whitehouse Institute of Design have promoted her focus on communication in arts and fashion media, and has led to published work in global magazine, ODDA.
Caitlin Hicks
Caitlin is a dynamic Australian writer based in Melbourne. Whilst completing her Bachelor of Arts at Monash University, Caitlin has developed her skills in both journalism and sartorial writing. Experience at Virgin Melbourne Fashion Festival and Whitehouse Institute of Design have promoted her focus on communication in arts and fashion media, and has led to published work in global magazine, ODDA.
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