Pierre Cardin: The designer who designed for “the world of tomorrow” dies aged 98
Fashion designer Pierre Cardin has died at the age of 98 in Neuilly Hospital near Paris. Cardin revolutionised fashion with his futuristic designs in the 1960s and 1970s. He was a pioneer in the business, licensing his name to be used on a range of products including sunglasses.
He was a supreme innovator for 70 years by capturing the zeitgeist. He is famous for his futuristic designs inspired by Space Age some even impossible to wear.
Parisian Haute couture had always been exclusive – its high priests believed it should be high-end, bespoke tailored, and very expensive.
In the 1950s Cardin threw out the boxy jackets and stiff white shirts and created a revolutionary look for a new, progressive generation.
He got rid of the bulky collars, lapels, tails, and cuffs. Trousers were tapered and hung loosely on the hips.
He expanded into ladie’s perfume and furniture. By 2018, the man who had once the youngest designer in Paris had become the oldest.
He once said, “ the clothes that I prefer are those I invent for a life that does not exist yet- the world of tomorrow”.
Pietro Cardin was born to French wine merchants, near Treviso, Italy on 2 July 1922, and was the last of 11 children. His parents took one look at Mussolini and fled back to France. They aspired young Pierre to be an architect but, even as a child, it was clear his interest was in fashion and design.
They found themselves in Vichy. Under the Nazi heels. Cardin learned his trade as a tailor and worked alongside the Red Cross.
A Tarot card reader gave him a name in a fashion house, he showed up at Paquin, one of France’s leading fashion houses, met the legendary film director Jean Cocteau and began working on his costumes for Beauty and the Beast. Eventually, Cocteau introduced him to Christian Dior. Dior helped him to open a boutique, called Eve, on the rue Faubourg Saint-Honore, where he designed a bubble dress, tight at the waist billowing at the tight and narrow at the hem which became an overnight sensation. His clients included the rich and famous, Rita Hayworth, Eva Peron. He visited Japan and taught tailoring at their fashion schools. In 1959, his ready-to-wear collection for women at the famous Printemps department store in Paris made his fellow designers choke on their croissants who expelled him from their trade association only to invite him back when they saw his success.
About Yves Saint Laurent, he said, “ They look down on me, you know, I would invite them out, but they would never invite me back.”
He opened a men’s boutique called Adam, full of collarless jackets that John Lennon and Paul McCartney were soon to wear on stage. In 1964 his new collection was towards unisex dressing. He began putting his logo on all his designs.
He employed thousands of people and made a lot of money.