In yesterday's post we looked at futuristic fonts and types, so let's continue the same thread for another day to look at Ruben Torres with a vintage image from my archives.
Born in Dallas, TX, Torres graduated from Southern Methodist University in 1952, then moved to Paris where he worked as an apprenticeship for Jules-François Crahay.
After a brief stint back in the States, where he designed ski wear in Portland, Oregon, for sportswear label White Stag, in the early '60s he settled in Paris to work for Nina Ricci (between 1961 and 1964). In 1966, he presented his first collection under his own name and also started collaborating with Warner's Lingerie in New York designing a line of lingerie and loungewear.
Famous for his futuristic designs such as the Concord bikini, a one-piece swimsuit with bra cups made of two foam rubber discs held on by suction, Torres injected in his designs the optimism of the new Space discoveries.
For the Autumn/Winter 1967 season Torres took inspiration from comic book heroes, he abolished accessories and opted for a minimalist essentiality. The collection featured Courregesian lines, unisex suits and rocket-shaped cloaks, like the ones pictured here (very Decima Vittima style and maybe among the inspirations for Prada's S/S 13 collection with its simple yet disquieting geometries...).
Torres also designed the uniforms for the French Olympic team at the 1968 Grenoble Winter Olympic Games. Unfortunately there are not many images featured in books about Torres's creations, designed for an age of speed, function and leisure, as Torres himself often highlighted in interviews from the '60s. Time to rediscover him?
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