PARIS – Claude Montana, the French designer who defined power-woman dressing in the ’80s, has died at the age of 76, the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode confirmed on Friday. The news was first reported by French news agency AFP.
Though he is mainly remembered for the exaggerated silhouettes that earned him the nickname “King of the Shoulder Pad,” Montana was celebrated for his razor-sharp tailoring and skill with leather, as well as his masterful use of color — from chic navy and black to brilliant hues of fuchsia, emerald and his signature cobalt blue.
“The work of Claude Montana embodied exceptional craftsmanship. His daring creations influenced a whole generation of designers. His distinctive style, blending sophistication and modernity, remains firmly rooted in the imagination of contemporary fashion, testifying to his indelible impact on the industry and on generations to come,” said Bruno Pavlovsky, president of French fashion’s organizing body.
“A visionary, Claude Montana constantly pushed the boundaries of fashion, reaching beyond his time to redefine standards of style and design. He challenged expectations and opened up new paths for creative expression,” added Pascal Morand, the federation’s executive president.
In his heyday, together with Thierry Mugler and Jean Paul Gaultier, he represented the provocative avant-garde of Paris fashion. Montana also designed Lanvin couture between 1990 and 1992.
“Cut, textures and color,” is how he summed up his contribution to the style annals in an interview with WWD in 2010. “Fashion is in constant evolution, and what remains unchanged are the things I love profoundly: black and white, gray, navy, the basic colors — the real colors which you can then play with and build on by adding others.”
He gradually faded from the scene after the house was sold twice in two years following a turbulent period that saw it file for protection from creditors in 1997. The couturier withdrew from the public eye after staging his last Paris catwalk show in 2002.
Montana — who was renowned for living life in the fast lane throughout the ’80s and early ’90s — said he lost his motivation “over time,” but offered little explanation as to why his business faltered. “We did a lot of volume in my day. But you know, I think one does not really think about all these problems. I think instinct is very important in this profession,” he said.
Jacqueline Montana, the sister who has been by his side from the start, blamed his sensitive nature. “A designer is someone fragile who needs support, and I think perhaps he did not receive as much support as he needed,” she said at the time.
Born in Paris to a German mother and a Catalan father, Montana moved to London in the early ’70s and began producing papier-mâché jewelry that soon caught the eye of British Vogue. After returning to Paris, he designed for MacDouglas Leathers before founding his own label in 1979.
At first, Montana’s aggressive silhouettes shocked American critics and buyers. He was accused of being misogynistic and promoting a “neo-Nazi” aesthetic, though his leather-and-studs looks owed more to gay subculture than to any political movement.
By the mid-’80s, Montana’s catwalk shows — with their haughty, Amazonian models styled to perfection — had become the hottest ticket in town.
“There were a lot of looks that were lifted from men’s wardrobes,” he recalled. Montana also had a fondness for uniforms, riffing on the outfits worn by aviators, marines, factory workers and even the members of the illustrious French Academy.
By the late ’80s, his burgeoning fashion empire included women’s and men’s rtw; licenses such as scarves, ties and eyewear, and a best-selling perfume, Montana Pour Femme.
Despite his growing success, the designer was media-shy, cultivating a reputation as a tortured perfectionist. But he was eyeing the pinnacle of his profession: haute couture.
“When you are a fashion designer, you dream of one thing only, and that is couture. If you get a chance to do it, it is amazing,” he said.
Montana recounted that in the late ’80, he was approached by Christian Dior and Givenchy to take over as creative director. But a firm offer came in 1989 from the ailing house of Lanvin, which allowed Montana to take control of its couture division without taking responsibility for ready-to-wear. Though the contract ended after just five seasons, Montana drew praise from critics, winning two consecutive Golden Thimble awards — an industry first.
His aesthetic was personified by his muse, the androgynous American model Wallis Franken, who would go on to become Montana’s wife in 1993 in a marriage of convenience that ended tragically with her death in 1996. Franken fell from a window of their apartment, in what was ruled a suicide.