Julien Dossena Exits Rabanne

Things are shaking up at Rabanne. Julien Dossena has exited the French brand after a thirteen-year tenure as its creative director, according to The Business of Fashion. First arriving at the label in 2013 after designing for Balenciaga under Nicolas Ghesquière, Dossena quickly made an impression with a youthful and contemporary take on the label’s house codes. It was a welcome, celebrated debut by both the fashion world and Rabanne’s parent company, Puig, which has only grown in the decade-plus since.

“For over thirteen years, Julien Dossena has shaped the creative spirit of Rabanne,” the label and Dossena stated in a sweet joint post on Instagram. “With a singular vision, he redefined the House for a new generation — honoring its radical heritage while opening new paths for expression, desirability, and innovation. Julien has been the architect of a remarkable chapter in the House’s history; challenging conventions, reimagining icons, and bringing together craftsmanship, culture, and modern femininity. As he departs his role, we extend our deepest gratitude for his talent, his vision, and his unwavering commitment.”

Indeed, craftsmanship was core to Dossena’s Rabanne. The designer’s embrace of sleek, bold glamour — always dancing the line between futuristic, bohemian, and edgy aesthetics — saw the label’s shimmering chainmail and interconnected disc motifs receive a full makeover. Each house symbol was revamped in leather, overlaid with dangling colored crystals, and even cast in ceramics — to name just a few iterations — which brought them a heightened, renewed interest.

It also opened the floodgates for Dossena to play with even more statement-making designs. Each season, fashion fans could anticipate an assortment of separates and dresses covered in studs, piercings, sequins, and intricate embroidery. The creative director made waves after introducing his signature supersized XL Link jewelry, as well as a range of chainmail and disc-textured handbags that have become going-out staples for the Gen Z set — particularly its Nano 1969 mini bag. The same glamour also shone through his viral H&M collaboration in 2023, which included ventures in home decor and menswear, as well as the elaborate haute couture collection he guest-designed for Jean Paul Gaultier earlier that year.

Outside of fashion, Dossena also heightened Rabanne’s beauty world presence. Under his leadership, the brand’s fragrance lineup exploded with the best-selling franchises Fame, Million Gold for Her, Lady Million, and Olympea — plus plenty of men’s go-to colognes like 1 Million, Phantom, and Invictus. Most recently, the label expanded its assortment with a range of eight luxe unisex scents, aptly named La Collection Rabanne. Since 2023, Rabanne’s futuristic beauty collection has also been an insider favorite, with its metal-cased eyeshadow palettes and “Glowies” lip glosses becoming hot commodities on social media.

Dossena’s exit follows a mix of creative director shuffling from late 2025 into 2026. In under a year, the fashion world has seen Olivier Rousteing leave Balmain, Maria Grazia Chiuri join Dior, and Dario Vitale dramatically part ways with Versace, among many others. However, given their shared social moment, there doesn’t seem to be any bad blood between Dossena and Rabanne.

At this time, both Dossena and Rabanne’s next steps remain unknown. Though it’s rumored that Rousteing could succeed him as the brand’s next creative director, it’s all speculation at this point.