Born in Paris on 29 June 1947 to a Spanish father and a German mother, Montana began his career by designing
papier-mâché jewelry covered with
rhinestones. Later, he discovered leather and the complex techniques associated with it, eventually becoming a leading force in leather. He designed for Ferrer y Sentis in the mid-seventies, contributing accomplished versions of the oversized, natural-fiber
Big Look then in fashion. His first
fashion show took place in 1976. He attracted attention the following year for his leather coats and in 1978 was among the most extreme in presenting the
broad shoulders that were introduced for the fall of that year, joining
Thierry Mugler in showing
massively-shouldered retro
science-fiction looks at the end of the 1970s, both designers also using the most influential footwear designer of the time,
Maud Frizon, for the shoes in their collections. Like Mugler and like
Azzedine Alaïa and a few others of this period, Montana's designs displayed a longing for styles of the 1940s and '50s. He was an avid colorist and favored blue, red, metallic, and neutral tones, in luxurious materials such as
cashmere, leather, and silk. He started his own company, The House of Montana, in 1979, and quickly became a darling of
1980s high fashion along with Mugler, who also favored aggressive shapes and strong colours. Through 1986, he would continue to be associated with exaggerated shoulder pads, even declaring in 1985, "Shoulders forever," but in 1987 he began to soften his style, with some moves in that direction as early as 1984, and in 1988 he presented much-reduced shoulders and even shoulderless tops in an architectural but softened spring collection that focused on standaway waists, collars, and jacket fronts, the lines reminding fashion historian
Bill Cunningham of the sculpture of
Jean Arp. By fall of 1988, he had moved in most of his garments to a completely natural shoulder while still maintaining a commanding line, now given to a geometric trapeze shaping that extended even to wide-hemmed pants, a silhouette he would focus on through the first half of 1989. At the end of the eighties, he, along with
Romeo Gigli and a number of others, contributed to a trend toward dramatic collar treatments on the now-natural shoulders of his garments. In the earliest 1990s, Montana returned somewhat to futuristic looks, this time joining a trend toward sixties
Space Age revival, with sharply tailored suits featuring vivid colors, prominent zippers, stretch fabrics, and angular but narrow shoulders. ==Creations ==