Claude Montana
Militaristic and highly eroticized, Claude Montana pieces are vivid moments of fashion exploration behind the elegantly sexualized leather lenses. Always to impress and never to surpass, his collections evoked such an emotional response as to make the audience cry and fantasize—a powerful statement of his fashionable buffoonery. Fashion artist, about whom The New York Times wrote in 1985, “is to big shoulders what Alexander Graham Bell is to the telephone.” The child of the night and burlesque, taking his inspiration from the after-hour Paris, Claude Montana reinvented the fashion scheme of his time, building up the notion of femme-fatale on the modern fashion scene. Not merely lighting up the public fetish allure, but devouring it, he, with his immaculate perfectionism, recrafted the dominatrixes narrative into his one-of-a-kind fashion empire. Key figure of haute couture and ready-to-wear of the 80’s, Claude Montana's legacy is here to be unwrapped and rediscovered for no less than a century.
Guy Marineau/WWD/Penske Media via Getty Images. "A model in Claude Montana’s spring 1979 show." Shared via W magazine. © All rights belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.
The “King of Shoulder Pad” was born in 1947 in Paris to a Spanish father and a German mother, beginning his career by designing papier-mâché jewelry covered with rhinestones. His papier-mâché pieces were to gain some grand attention and were even featured in British Vogue.
His fascination with leather—a material he would later master in his clothing designs—began no longer than after moving to London in the early 70’s. Montana’s work caught the attention of the fashion-forward, and his creations quickly garnered a niche following. This success encouraged him to return to Paris, where he began experimenting with clothing design, applying the same principles of structure and audacity that had defined his accessory work.
The designer Claude Montana standing with two models wearing his “Power Fashion” pieces in 1985 via Getty Images. © All rights belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.
From the very beginning, Montana’s designs reflected a daring and rebellious ethos. He rejected the softness and romanticism often associated with traditional couture, instead favoring sharp lines, bold proportions, and dramatic silhouettes. His early collections were defined by an almost architectural approach to fashion, where garments became statements of power and individuality. Montana’s love for dramatic textures—such as suede, leather, and metallics—set him apart in a fashion industry that was still finding its way out of the understated minimalism of the 1970s. This avant-garde spirit not only positioned him as a designer to watch but also foreshadowed the bold, powerful aesthetic that would dominate his work in the 1980s. Ready to shine and explore the unseen, Montana set the path for his own fashion brand in 1979. His debut collections were an immediate success, celebrated for their audacity and originality. Within just a few years, Montana became synonymous with the bold, avant-garde aesthetic of the 1980s, appealing to a clientele that sought to exude power, confidence, and individuality. What made him stand out from the crowd were bold shoulders and strong silhouettes, lately referred to as “power dressing.” Another vivid attribute of his looks was futurism and androgyny, playing around with sexuality and establishing female domination. He was well-known for his pieces described as “almost Germanic in tempo, they could be very militant but totally sexy at the same time” by Ellin Saltzman, a former fashion director of Saks Fifth Avenue.
Claude Montana's Autumn/Winter 1991 show. Bright colors, swing and shift silhouettes from the 1960s, plastic headwear, and elegant black tailoring all served as inspiration for this collection, which was partially influenced by vintage science fiction. Leather gloves and makeup with frosted pink lips and excessive cat-eyes paired with sleek hairstyles were among the accessories. Getty Images. © All rights belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement intended.
Another vivid standpoint of Montana's career is his fashion companion in crime Thierry Mugler. Their creative synergy shared the boldness of theatricality, shaking the fashion scene of those times. Both being architectural souls, they crafted their pieces with power, structure, and a futuristic outlook in mind. Often borrowing ideas from each other, they explored and developed a unique creative essence hidden within their duo. Reflecting the shifting scene of the 80’s where the female narrative underwent some drastic changes, empowering and giving freedom to those previously regarded as fragile and elegant, both Montana and Mugler showcased this switch in their artwork. Being about pure ego and strength, the main wavelength of the 80’s their crafts were the pinnacles of femme fatale narrative.
The legacy of Claude Montana is indeed vast, as vast as to have its own contribution to modern culture and fashion notions. His designs became synonymous with strength, confidence, and individuality, reflecting the shifting roles of women in society and the workplace. Empowerment through design was the main feature of Montana’s pieces, his clothes were not just garments but statements of empowerment, aligning perfectly with the rise of women in professional and political spheres during the 1980s. By redefining the way clothing could embody strength, Montana encouraged contemporaries like Thierry Mugler, Azzedine Alaïa, and Jean-Paul Gaultier to explore similar themes of structure and dominance in their work. Montana also contributed to breaking down gender norms in fashion. His pieces often blurred traditional distinctions between masculine and feminine, making them appealing to both men and women. The exploration of fluidity and androgyny is Montana’s signature.
Within the pop-culture realm, Montana received a bunch of celebrity endorsements. His designs were favored by many stars, including Madonna and Princess Diana. Montana’s collections frequently graced the pages of Vogue, Elle, and Harper’s Bazaar, celebrated for their innovative use of texture, color, and silhouette.
All in all, the phenomenon of Claude Montana was omnipresent at his epoch, perfectly shedding light on the burlesque scenery of the 80’s. The vivid and bold statement of shifting social roles, fight for freedom and independence, the harsh individuality, and naked exploration. “Power fashion” was the pinnacle of sexuality and femininity of those times, ready to break the glass ceiling and provoke a reaction. Bringing to the table innovation in texture and fabric, armed with brutality and eagerness, Montana was there to proclaim his own fashion narrative, free from prejudice and modesty. As the true fashion architect, he challenged the status quo, redefined femininity, and gave women and men a wardrobe that demanded attention.
