Vincent Thilloy

>> The rumor has been confirmed: Manish Arora is the new creative director of Paco Rabanne, and will show his first collection for the label in October during Paris Fashion Week — for Spring 2012. He will also continue his colorful signature collection, which is also shown in Paris but sells mostly in his native India.

The founding designer Rabanne has been consulting on the relaunch, which was kickstarted last month with the reissuing of the brand's iconic 1969 chain-mail bag, done in collaboration with Comme des Garcons's Rei Kawakubo. Those collaborations are expected to continue — next up is Judy Blame, who in March will unveil a collection of jewelry and his take on the chain-mail bag for the brand.

Vincent Thilloy, Puig VP overseeing Rabanne, said that the founder is looking to “transmit this brand to a new generation,” adding: “I think people are looking for brands with great heritage — and stories to tell. It’s a perfect time to come back.” And Arora, who is charged with bringing fashion back to the brand that shuttered ready-to-wear in 2006, says he is committed to Rabanne's heritage: "It’s very easy to use unorthodox materials, but not to do it with this kind of workmanship."

>> Paco Rabanne shuttered its clothing line in 2006, after a failed revival attempt by Patrick Robinson, but it's coming back onto the scene now, slowly but surely, with the brand's 76-year-old namesake designer consulting.

The first prong of reemergence? The relaunch of the brand's iconic 1969 chain-mail bag in new materials like stingray, horn, metal, glitter leather, and suede. The bag, which retails for $1,400 to $2,200, was shown during the most recent Paris Fashion Week, and will launch at London's Dover Street Market in January for one month before going to select retailers. Rei Kawakubo picked out materials for three interpretations of the reissued bag, and those will be sold exclusively in nine Comme des Garçons stores; Comme des Garçons is also handling the distribution of all the bags to retailers.

According to Rabanne, who was involved in the bag's relaunch: "I immediately got on board with the plan to relaunch the bag, but in my view it was necessary to make it in more comfortable materials. So we did this, using fine materials (shagreen, vegetable leather…) and/or materials in line with the Rabanne universe (rubber, plastic, aluminum . . . )."

The plan, according to Vincent Thilloy, Rabanne's VP, is to "come back and enrich the image of the brand," which means accessories first, and then clothing in the near future. Rabanne, who the executives are closely consulting, already knows what he wants to see: "The Paco Rabanne brand is and must remain what it has always been: audacious."

>> Paco Rabanne Edging Its Way Into a Comeback? –After shuttering its clothing line in 2006 after a failed revival attempt under Patrick Robinson, Paco Rabanne might once again be gearing up for a fashion comeback. The brand, which has been holding ship with a fragrance line, is set to present a collection of handbags during the coming fashion weeks. A clothing line, too, could be in the near future — it has been in the pipeline since Paco Rabanne's current vice president, Vincent Thilloy, was hired in January 2009 to manage the brand's fragrance, fashion, and accessories businesses. Thilloy says he thought it was a good time for the brand to expand its offerings, as its fragrance business is taking off exponentially: "I’m thinking about a new business model for the fashion." [WWD]