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Claude Montana: Triumph, Tragedy and Cancellation

The late designer had it all and lost it all, but his design genius made him a fashion legend, writes Tim Blanks.

Claude Montana and Christy Turlington at his Spring/Summer 1992 show. — Claude Montana and Christy Turlington at the designer’s Spring/Summer 1992 show. (Getty Images)

By

Tim Blanks

22 March 2024

BoF PROFESSIONAL

At 10 o’clock on Friday morning, the crematorium at Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris will consign Claude Montana’s mortal remains to ash. It’s a sad end to a story whose extremes of triumph and tragedy feel like they belong to another time, another place, a fashion industry we scarcely recognise.

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Further Reading

The Last Metamorphosis of Mugler

The designer, who died on Sunday, was an icon of a golden age in fashion.

About the author

Tim Blanks

Tim Blanks is Editor-at-Large at The Business of Fashion. He is based in London and covers designers, fashion weeks and fashion’s creative class.

In This Article

Topics

Luxury

People

Claude Montana

Tags

Designers

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