Claude Montana (b.1949) is a French Fashion Designer.
Biography
Montana’s career in fashion began almost accidentally; he moved to London in the early 1970s “to escape studying,” having no plans and no work visa. Raising money by selling rhinestone-studded papier mache jewellery, he met a Vogue editor by happenstance and had his work featured in the magazine. As a result of his success in London, he was able to extend his stay there by a year, and upon his return to Paris he found work as a freelance designer for the leather company MacDouglas, whose owner’s wife had requested more opulent creations. From these humble beginnings, Montana went on to become a major player in the French and international ready-to-wear industry, designing for companies like Complice and Cadette in Italy and Ferrer y Sentis in Spain.
Style
Montana is best known for his leatherwork, which features bold and innovative uses of cut, texture, and colour. To create his looks, he favours bold hues like black, red, and grey and draws influence from traditional menswear elements like broad shoulders and boxy cuts. His most incredible skill is his ability to make traditionally masculine shapes appear strong and alluring to women.
Sources
Dormer, P. (1999). The illustrated dictionary of twentieth century designers. Greenwich.
More Fashion Designers
-
RIP – Issey Miyake, the Japanese fashion designer, dies 84.
Issey Miyake died on August 5, 2022, in a Tokyo hospital of liver cancer. He founded the Miyake Design Studio in 1970.Read More →
-
Paul Poiret (1879 – 1944) – King of Fashion
In the early decades of the 20th century, Paul Poiret was a crucial figure in the French fashion industry, notably by adding a deep oriental flavour and rich colours to contemporary clothing. Read More →
-
Hattie Carnegie (1886 – 1956) Austrian Clothing Designer, Jeweller
Her family settled in the USA when she was in her teens and took the Carnegie name. In 1909, with a friend, she opened a tiny dress and hat shop, New York, known as Carnegie—Ladies’ Hatter.Read More →
-
Coco Chanel: A Classic of the 20th Century
From gold buttons to comfortable tailored trousers and comfortable cardigan sweaters, there is no more significant influence on clothes than Coco Chanel.Read More →
-
Jean Patou (1880 – 1936) 🎩 Fashion Designer
One of Patou’s most famous customers was the French tennis champion Suzanne Lenglen, whom he dressed both on and off the court. This lean and active young woman epitomised the 1920s “new woman.” She created a furore in 1921 when she wore Patou’s knee-length pleated skirt, which revealed much of her legs when she ran. The headband she wore while playing tennis was widely copied by women throughout the 1920s for day and evening wear.Read More →
-
Claude Montana (b.1949) French Fashion Designer
Montana’s career in fashion began almost accidentally; he moved to London in the early 1970s “to escape studying,” having no plans and no work visa. Raising money by selling rhinestone-studded papier mache jewellery, he met a Vogue editor by happenstance and had his work featured in the magazine. Read More →
-
Geoffrey Beene (1927-2004) an American Fashion Designer
Geoffrey Beene (1927 – 2004) was an American fashion designer; born Haynesville, Louisiana. He was a premed student at Tulane University when he found himself sketching gowns when he became bored during his lectures. Along with Bill Blass, he was regarded as the Godfather of American sportswear. Read More →
-
The Art of Zandra Rhodes (Hardcover) 1995
Zandra Rhodes is known for her creativity and talent worldwide, and it is images and impressions from all around the world that has so often inspired her art. Images have met her eye and been interpreted through her own very personal vision, boldly pushing their way into the highest levels of fashion, from an aerial view of a Mexican sombrero to the wiggle of the Great Wall of China.Read More →
-
Calvin Klein (b.1942) American fashion designer
Klein’s excellent, modest tailoring and beautiful sportswear lines, as well as his casual separates created in the finest linens, silks, and cashmere, had earned him a name by the mid-1970sRead More →
-
Jean-Paul Gaultier (b.1952) French Fashion Designer
Before launching his label in 1976, Gaultier worked for Cardin, Jacques Esteirel, and Patou. From the onset, Gaultier was dubbed the ‘enfant terrible de Paris’.Read More →
-
Mainbocher (1890 – 1976) – Simplicity without Boredom
When designing his 1945 spring collection, Mainbocher – the noted French designer who worked in New York after the fall of Paris in WWII. Declared that he had attempted more than ever to make clothes “that would embody the right amount of novelty, were stimulating for today,Read More →
-
American Fashion (Hardcover) – Council of Fashion Designers America
American fashion is the definitive book on the country’s fashion culture, spanning eight decades and featuring the work of more than 100 designers. American fashion is a visual journey through classic and fresh photographs by the century’s most outstanding photographers and illustrators, followed by essays defining nearly a century of fascinating culture, commissioned by the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA).Read More →
-
Emilio Pucci (1914 – 1992) Italian fashion designer
A leading figure in Italian fashion in the 1950s and 1960s, Pucci studied for a year at the University of Milan. In 1935 he travelled to the United States where he also studied, returning to the University of FlorenceRead More →
-
Alexis Mabille Launches Furniture Line
Buoyed by his thriving business as a designer of restaurants, including Le Boeuf sur le Toit in Paris and Cipriani in Saint-Tropez, Mabille has produced a mix of one-of-a-kind pieces and limited-edition items under his own Beaubow Editions imprint.Read More →
-
Spotlight On: Irish designer Aisling Kavanagh
My love for designing was unearthed as my grandad was a tailor and I was fascinated watching him create these impeccably tailored suits. every stitch, every detail, cut and construction showed true craftsmanship. I learned the value of good design principles, the importance of the right cut, and the quality of the finish.Read More →
-
270 Metres of Lace in Grace Kelly’s wedding gown
The formal wedding gown was made of 278 metres of the finest materials, and at the time was described as the most lavish ever worn by a bride.Read More →
-
Alexis Kirk (1936 – 2010) American Jewellery Designer
Kirk self-identified as Armenian despite being born in Los Angeles and raised in New England. One of his Armenian ancestors, Vemian, was a jeweller to the Turkish court. Some of his works are on display at Istanbul’s Topkapi Museum. His grandfather worked for Lalique Glass in Paris as a chief artist.Read More →
-
The most beautiful wedding dresses of 2021
Although the pandemic changed the habits regarding the number of guests at weddings and decorations,Read More →
-
Naeem Khan Indian American Fashion Designer
Naeem Khan is an Indian-American fashion designer who has dressed First Lady Michelle Obama, Queen Noor of Jordan, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, in his ornate and intricately detailed gowns.Read More →
-
Zandra Rhodes (b.1940) British fashion and textile designer
Zandra Rhodes studied lithography and printing at Medway College before going on to the Royal College of Art to study textiles, graduating in 1964 during the height of the pop movement. She made a paper wedding dress that cost less than two shillings, motivated by this trend and the work of painter Roy Lichtenstein in particular (about 7 new pence). In 1967, paper clothing was all the rage: it was the ultimate representation of disposable apparel.Read More →