The designer, whose creations were admired by Alexander McQueen, was 76 years old. It was Claude Montana who defined the style of a stylish woman in the 1980s.
Designer Claude Montana died in Paris. The founder of the House of Montana brand was 76 years old. WWD writes about it.
Fellow designers, managers, models and former colleagues remembered him both for his virtuoso cut and bold models.
While Claude was mostly known for his exaggerated silhouettes, earning him the nickname “The King of Shoulder Pads,” Montana became famous for his impeccable fit and mastery of leather, as well as his exquisite use of colors—from chic navy and black to brilliant shades of fuchsia, emerald and his signature cobalt blue.
In his heyday, along with Thierry Mugler and Jean Paul Gaultier, he represented the provocative avant-garde of Parisian fashion. Montana also designed fashion clothing for Lanvin between 1990 and 1992.
Gauthier paid tribute to his talent. “Claude Montana was an amazing designer who put on amazing and unusual shows. He was unparalleled in his use of leather, which was the main material of his collections,” he said.
Fashion designer Steven Jones remembered him as a genius and a perfectionist.
“I worked with him for 17 years. And he was just extraordinary. He was a great friend and teacher. His cutting discipline was like no other—the cut and recut and made sure the clothes were perfect,” Jones said. , recalling how supermodels Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington waited until 4 a.m. for fitting sessions with Claude.
“Yves Saint Laurent once said that he thought Claude was the only person who could replace him when he stopped working,” Stephen said.
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Claude Montana gradually disappeared from the fashion scene after his fashion house was sold twice in two years, following a turbulent period when he filed for creditor protection in 1997. The couturier dropped out of the public eye after staging his last catwalk show in Paris in 2002. In recent years, he has lived as a recluse.
The Haute Couture Federation confirmed his death. Claude is survived by a brother. His sister, Jacqueline, who worked alongside him, died last year.
“Claude Montana’s work embodied exceptional craftsmanship. His bold creations influenced an entire generation of designers. His distinctive style, combining sophistication and modernity, is firmly rooted in the imagination of today’s fashion, testifying to his indelible influence on the industry and on future generations.” — said Bruno Pawlowski, president of the French Fashion Federation.
Biography of Claude Montana
Montana was born in Paris to a German woman and a Catalan father. In the early 1970s, he moved to London and began producing papier-mâché jewelry, which soon attracted the attention of British Vogue. Returning to Paris, he designed for MacDouglas Leathers and then founded his own brand in 1979.
At first, Montana’s aggressive silhouettes shocked American critics and buyers. He was accused of misogyny and propaganda of “neo-Nazi” aesthetics.
By the mid-80s, Montana’s shows became the most popular among fashion critics.
Claude’s collections included many looks taken from the men’s wardrobe. He was also inspired by uniforms, copying the clothes worn by aviators, marines, factory workers, and even members of the famous French Academy.
Prince Charles and Princess Diana were guests of honor at the 1988 Bicentennial Wool Collection fashion show at the Sydney Opera House in Australia.
Montana said that at the end of the 1980s, he was approached by Christian Dior and Givenchy with an offer to take up the position of creative director. But in 1989, a more favorable offer came from Lanvin.
His aesthetic was epitomized by his muse, androgynous American model Wallis Franken, who later became Montana’s wife in 1993 in an arranged marriage that tragically ended in her death in 1996. Franken fell from the window of their apartment. Her death was ruled a suicide.
Many in the industry indirectly blamed Montana for her death, saying he contributed to her depression by subjecting her to physical and emotional abuse. He never talked about it.
Speaking in 2004, Yves Saint Laurent said Montana was the only designer alive at the time who possessed “talent and power.”
“He was the only one who had that breadth. There are many more possibilities than even Galliano. More modern. But he burned his brain out with drugs and is incapable of anything today. But he had real talent. Talent that was modern, young, new, provocative,” he said in an interview.
We will remind you, the new creative director of Moschino died 9 days after starting work. The preliminary cause of death of 46-year-old designer David Renne is called a heart attack. In February 2024, the new creative director of Moschino was supposed to show his first collection.