1966 Ruben Torres for Warner's body stocking jumpsuit in a pop art print.Ruben Torres was a designer in the futuristic Space-Age era 1960's. Not much is known about him today, but this fascinating image from a 1966 magazine sent me on the hunt for more information.
Torres was born in Dallas, TX and graduated from Southern Methodist University in 1952. From there, he went to Paris and served an apprenticeship with Haute Couturier Jules Crahay. He then moved to Portland, Oregon where he designed ski wear for White Stag. About 1960, he moved back to Paris, where he worked for couturier Nina Ricci from about 1961-64. In July 1966, he presented his first couture collection with his own label in Paris. At the same time, Torres felt the future of fashion was in mass production, and he partnered with Warner's Lingerie in New York to present a line of lingerie and loungewear.
Torres's designs centered around stretch fabrics and he liked to use molded, rather than seamed, shapes. In 1966, he felt that couture techniques were no longer relevant and predicted that fashion of the future would be made with new production techniques that involved no sewing. I find no mention of Torres after 1967.
Before today, I had never heard of Ruben Torres and I have never seen a piece of his clothing. If you have a Ruben Torres garment, please contact me!
1967 Ruben Torres mens jumpsuit in stretch fabric.
