(FILES) In this file photo taken on April 29, 2006 Daft Punk performs at the Coachella Music Fesival in Indio, California. - French electronic music stars Daft Punk have split up, their publicist confirmed on February 22, 2021, ending one of the era's defining dancefloor acts. The duo released a video titled "Epilogue" in which one of the robot duo is blown up in the desert, followed by a cutaway reading "1993-2021". (Photo by Karl Walter / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)
Cover Photo: Karl Walter/Getty Images North America/AFP

After 28 years, one of the era’s biggest dance acts are hanging up their helmets

French electronic music legends and style trailblazers Daft Punk, real names Thomas Bangalter, 46, and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, 47, have split. The duo announced their retirement through an eight-minute clip titled Epilogue, which used footage from their cult 2006 film, Electroma.

Specifically, the footage featured the duo bidding each other farewell as they walked across a cracked desert before one of them self-destructed. After the explosion, a cutaway reads "1993-2021" with two robot hands making a circle around a sunset.

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Daft Punk’s longtime publicist Kathryn Frazier confirmed the news, but she gave no reason for the split.

From Da Funk in 1995 to Get Lucky in 2013, Daft Punk was the torchbearers for French house music across the globe, winning six Grammy awards and pioneering the monumental sound-and-light shows that came to characterise the electronic dance movement (EDM) of recent years—and the famously publicity-shy music maestros did so while almost never revealing their faces.

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(FILES) In this file photo taken on January 26, 2014 recording artists Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo (L) and Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk attend the 56th Grammy Awards at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. - French electronic music stars Daft Punk have split up, their publicist confirmed on February 22, 2021, ending one of the era's defining dancefloor acts. The duo released a video titled "Epilogue" in which one of the robot duo is blown up in the desert, followed by a cutaway reading "1993-2021". (
Above Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images North America/AFP

The announcement set off an outpouring of tributes to Daft Punk’s influence in not just music but also pop culture. "They always cultivated a taste for the paradoxical," electro pioneer Jean-Michel Jarre told AFP, praising the duo's "extremely elegant manner of saying goodbye to their fans".

Elegant and a class of their own, they truly are. In celebration of the influential duo's illustrious careers, here's a quick throwback to some of their most defining style moments.

A'head' of the Curve

Known for their visual stylisation and disguises associated with their music, Daft Punk had a long history of wearing ornate helmets and gloves to assume their trademark robot personas in most of their public appearances since 2001, which set a precedent and filled dance music fans with intrigue over their 'actual' faces.

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"We're not performers, we're not models—it would not be enjoyable for humanity to see our features," de Homem-Christo once told Rolling Stone, "but the robots are exciting to people."

Their strong visual presence and style established a trend and set off a slew of headgear-wearing performers among their electronic music peers such as deadmau5, Cazzette, The Bloody Beetroots, Claptone, and Marshmello, to name a few.

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Photo 1 of 3 deadmau5 (Photo: Gabriel Bouys/AFP)
Photo 2 of 3 Marshmello (Photo: Ander Gillenea/AFP)
Photo 3 of 3 The Bloody Beetroots (Photo: Instagram @thebloodybeetrootsofficial)

The Shimmery Saint Laurent Makeover

In 2013, Daft Punk scored their biggest fashion moment when they were asked to join the Saint Laurent Music Project in drumming up anticipation for the release of their fourth (and final) studio album, Random Access Memories.

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In the music ad campaign, the duo sported seriously sequinned Le Smoking tuxedo suits created by Saint Laurent creative director Hedi Slimane. Slimane's creations can also be seen in the music video for Get Lucky, the chart-topping electro tune of the summer that year which featured creative pop icon Pharrell Williams on vocals. Safe to say, it was one glittery extravaganza.

Getting Lucky with Karlie Kloss

Also in 2013, the helmeted pair graced a Vogue editorial spread dedicated to 'Inspired New Eveningwear' with super-mega-model Karlie Kloss. Captured through the talented lens of photographer Craig McDean, the editorial also marked Daft Punk's highly-anticipated return to the charts after an eight-year hiatus.

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Decked in signature Hedi Slimane for Saint Laurent suits, the Parisians fabulously stormed through uptown New York with Kloss, who complemented the men's futuristic look in elegant yet edgy Alexander McQueen eveningwear.

What a legacy. For one last time, thank you, Daft Punk.

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