JULIEN DOSSENA | RABANNE

Interview by Filep Motwary

Since stepping into the role of artistic director at Rabanne in 2013, Julien Dossena has been quietly revolutionizing fashion—unveiling some of the most resonant collections in recent memory. His approach, much like the legendary house founder’s, transcends the immediate moment, channeling an aesthetic that looks toward a distant, visionary future, always with a deeply human touch. It’s a high-stakes game, but his collections never compromise—they remain pure, sensitive, and fiercely original.

Back in 1966, Spanish couturier Paco Rabanne shook the fashion world with his groundbreaking “Twelve Unwearable Dresses in Contemporary Materials.” Mini futuristic dresses crafted from aluminum and iridescent plastic, linked by metallic rings like chains embracing the body, forming an almost impenetrable shield. These bold designs evolved from his earlier work creating plastic accessories for Parisian giants like Schiaparelli, Balenciaga, and Givenchy. His daring vision met fierce resistance from the bourgeois haute couture salons of Paris—Coco Chanel herself reportedly condemned him. Yet, the tides were turning. Alongside contemporaries like Pierre Cardin and André Courrèges—and visionary furniture designers like Verner Panton, Arne Jacobsen, and Eero Aarnio—Rabanne brought a dazzling, utopian futurism to design rooted in industrial materials. “The only frontier left in fashion is the discovery and use of new materials,” he famously declared, etching his name in history.

Fast forward to today: 42-year-old Julien Dossena stands as Rabanne’s longest-serving creative heir, following in the footsteps of Patrick Robinson, Lydia Maurer, and Manish Arora. He has masterfully evolved the founder’s futuristic spirit, while cultivating the essence of freedom in his designs—pieces that command attention from audiences and industry insiders alike. Just last year, Jean Paul Gaultier invited him to co-create his haute couture collection. And in November, H&M announced their collaboration with Rabanne, cementing the brand’s powerful position in the ever-shifting fashion landscape.

In the wake of this triumphant partnership, I caught up with Dossena for a deep-dive conversation. Just days earlier, I had seen him backstage at the French house’s summer show, meticulously preparing models with his team before they hit the runway. He arrived late to our meeting, apologizing with a disarming smile that instantly thawed the mood. “I’ve got a lot on my mind these days,” he confessed. “The H&M collaboration was massive. Then came a nonstop press tour, promotional parties—I was almost everywhere at once. We worked tirelessly for a full year, but we made it happen.” And when, I wondered, does he find time for himself?

“The truth is, before the pandemic, I was even spending my free time in the office—I was doing exactly what I wanted to avoid by choosing this job,” he laughed heartily. “I was stuck in endless meetings and honestly, I was suffocating. About four years ago, I bought a house just outside the city. Now, I always pack a bag at the office and at the end of each week, I escape straight there to unwind. Depending on the season, I bring loads of books, light the fireplace, dive into the pool, invite friends over—I collect beautiful moments.” Curious about how he found his way into fashion, I asked him if it had always been his goal. His answer surprised me…

As a child, I was captivated by drawing. From the age of three or four, I spent countless hours sketching. It became an obsession, and I was blissfully content to be left undisturbed. When I turned seven, my parents asked me what I wanted to do when I grew up, and I told them I dreamed of designing cars, ships, planes — anything connected to design. At that age, I had no idea about the fashion industry or its vastness. For me, clothes were simply a necessity, much like food. At school, my teachers, noticing my talent, would ask me to illustrate my classmates’ essays for competitions, and I even illustrated for the local newspaper — I was paid for that too. Painting, over time, evolved into my job.

However, this was not an activity typically associated with my hometown in the Morbihan region of Brittany, a largely agricultural and maritime area where children were encouraged to choose “real” careers. “If your family worked in agriculture, it was natural for you to do the same,” he says. With no connection to fashion or lifestyle, Dossena was taken by surprise in his teenage years when foreign magazines introduced him to the magic of photography. “I started buying i-D and The Face, which opened my eyes to a unique British aesthetic. The British had an ability to present fashion radically, in a way completely different from the French. It fascinated me, and I wanted to be a part of it. I started imagining myself as the protagonist in fashion scenarios. The elitist figures of Yves Saint Laurent that I frequently saw on French television were dethroned by the heroines of British photographers — young girls who looked like my friends. I began to see fashion as a platform for expression, one that welcomed everyone — including me!”

But Dossena entered fashion through the “back door.” “In the beginning, I didn’t tell anyone about my plans. I decided to study art history, hoping to gather some cultural baggage that would ease my journey toward my ultimate goal. After graduating, I wandered for about a year before making the big decision to move to Paris. My parents supported me, even though they didn’t quite understand what I was thinking.” A conscious decision, as he explains, to keep the relationship with them meaningful — imagine that they’ve never attended any of his fashion shows! Yet, moving to Paris did not seem enough for his creative ambitions, so he set his sights on Brussels, where he met his destiny at the renowned La Cambre fashion school. He would later return to Paris for his internship at Balenciaga under the creative direction of Nicolas Ghesquière.

“He was the only designer I wanted to work with,” Dossena emphasizes. “His ideas and way of working resonated with my own interests, and there was no strict hierarchy we had to follow. There, I learned to recognize the different sources of inspiration he used to create something new. For example, a blend of ’60s and ’70s surf aesthetics, so meticulously and cleverly structured that it left you in awe — just like Ghesquière himself. I felt like I belonged, and that I could offer something unique because my culture was so different from the insular Parisian elite.”

For Dossena, the key to success in fashion lies in trusting one’s instincts and having a clear goal. Fashion is an arena filled with challenges, and to play its game, confidence is essential, although not always guaranteed. “Personally, I felt I truly belonged when I managed to build something on my own terms and values. I worked with people I believed in, like Marie-Amélie Sauvé, who recommended me for this position. There are times when I feel I’m not doing my job well enough, and other times when I feel confident — which I think is natural. I’m mature enough now to face whatever comes my way.”

For the French, the name Rabanne is iconic. For Julien Dossena, it evokes youth, Jane Birkin, Barbarella, Françoise Hardy — names synonymous with the word “revolution.” It also represents a response to fundamental questions, like those that concerned women in the ‘60s, who wanted to take control of their bodies and desires, or questions that occupy our world today. Even though the utopian futurism of the past is now partially reality, with screens an inseparable part of our daily lives. “The first thing I did when I became creative director at Rabanne was to gather the timeless elements of the brand to reshape its new identity. At first, I avoided designing with metallic mesh or chains — I didn’t incorporate them until my fourth or fifth collection because I wanted to bring something fresh. I wanted my signature to be grounded in the present, not the past. By doing this, we liberated ourselves from the weight of history, and I’m grateful that the PUIG team, to which we belong, gave me the time I needed to fully spread my wings.”

For Spring/Summer 2024, Dossena took Rabanne to a fantastical planet, filled with intergalactic empresses, shimmering Amazons, timeless goddesses, and priestesses with their faces concealed by metallic hoods. For inspiration, he turned to the ’70s Ibiza, Paco Rabanne’s favorite destination, offering an aesthetic far removed from the “quiet luxury” that dominated recent seasons. His desire to explore new techniques with metal was fully realized, with results that far exceeded what the founder of the house had envisioned. Many of the looks even veered into haute couture territory rather than prêt-à-porter. Who knows, perhaps his recent collaboration with Jean Paul Gaultier last summer gave him a new perspective. Whatever the case may be, this is a remarkable year for Dossena, and this collection is his passport to an entirely new, uncharted world.