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Paco Rabanne is bringing its Space Age flair to beauty. The Puig-owned fashion and fragrance house is introducing its first makeup collection and has appointed makeup artist Diane Kendal as global beauty creative director, a newly created role.
The launch comes as the 60-year-old house rebrands to “Rabanne”, as it seeks to merge fashion and beauty under one unified vision. The new visual identity and logo — Rabanne written in lowercase letters, in a minimalist style — will be rolled out over the next 12 months across its retail and marketing touchpoints.
The makeup collection is split into four categories: Eyephoria, for eyes; Rouge Rabanne, for lips; Nudes, for skin coverage; and Arts Factory, which includes “never before seen” artistry-inspired, multi-purpose products. Packaging will be high-gloss gold, silver metallic and mirrored, reflecting the house’s metallic and futuristic aesthetic, as seen via signature styles like the 1969 bag and XL link jewellery. Prices range from about $20 to $40.
The collection will be available exclusively on the brand’s e-commerce site and selected boutiques in August, followed by launches at Selfridges in the UK, Sephora in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Ulta Beauty in the US. It will also be promoted at the brand’s Spring/Summer 2024 show at Paris Fashion Week in September. The makeup looks will be overseen by Kendal, who was previously a beauty product consultant for Marc Jacobs Beauty and has developed product lines for Calvin Klein Cosmetics.
Beauty is heating up as more luxury brands see an opportunity to tap into the lucrative business. Rabanne is competing with longtime players Chanel, Dior and YSL, and newer entrants such as Gucci, Valentino and Hermès. Prada, whose beauty licence has been managed by L’Oréal since 2021, has been venturing further into the space, most recently with a new women’s fragrance, Paradoxe. More launches are expected to follow this year. Meanwhile, Balmain has linked up with Estée Lauder to launch beauty in 2024, under creative director Olivier Rousteing.
Rabanne’s namesake founder, who rose to fame during the 1960s, was one of the co-creators of the Space Age movement alongside the likes of André Courrèges and Pierre Cardin. He died, aged 88, earlier this year. The changes announced today “pay tribute to Monsieur Rabanne’s avant garde legacy and respect the brand’s trailblazing heritage,” the company said in a statement.
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