To speak of Claude Montana (Paris, June 29, 1947) is to speak of one of the most important designers of the eighties, since he marked a before and after in the world of fashion thanks to his avant-garde designs and his new way of making parades.
The Parisian creator, the son of a Spanish father and a German mother, moved to London at the end of 1960 to begin his design career. It was there, in the city considered the mecca of modernity, where he began creating jewelery out of papier-mâché covered with rhinestones, and a little later, he would start in the world of leather. After specializing in this material, he worked for different fur companies and became chief designer for the Parisian leather manufacturer McDouglas.
In 1979, Montana founded his homonymous firm and launched his first women’s collection, until two years later he also dared with men’s fashion and designed the first line for men. From the outset, the designer opted for the empowerment of women through extreme silhouettes with pronounced shapes and large proportions. In addition, his garments were marked by bright colors and the use of fabrics such as cashmere, leather and silk. Characteristics that made him stand out, along with designers Jean Paul Gaultier and Thierry Mugler, as one of the most relevant figures in Parisian fashion in the 1980s.
From 1990 to 1992, the creator received two consecutive Gold Thimble awards for the haute couture designs he made for the house of Lanvin. Despite being favored by critics, Montana’s bold designs were financially disastrous for the house, resulting in so many losses that he was eventually replaced as Lanvin’s creative director by Dominique Morlotti.
After this stage, the Parisian continued designing ready-to-wear collections for his own firm, where the protagonists continued to be strong and marked lines. However, these design patterns made his creations amorphous to the body, which made it difficult to take them off the catwalks and introduce them into everyday life. Therefore, the designer had to adapt to the real demand and began to create more practical garments, which coexisted perfectly with the female body.
One of the most significant signs of Montana, in addition to its clothes, were its parades. The designer was a pioneer in betting on a show designed for the media and not just for the attendees. In this way, both modeling for his brand and attending his fashion shows became a real luxury.
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