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10 Facts About the Late Pierre Cardin That You Didn’t Know Of

2020-12-30 , 3:37 pm

The fashion world has suffered from yet another devastating loss of one of the most iconic and revolutionary French designers of all time.

On 29 December, Tuesday, Pierre Cardin was reported to have passed away at the age of 98 – but he will not be forgotten by the world.

Here are 10 facts about the legendary man himself that you may not have known stood behind the very name that had a far and wide reach.

1. Small Town Beginnings

Born in 1922 in northern Italy, Pierre Cardin’s parents were wealthy landowners, with father Alessandro Cardin being a wine merchant. They then moved back to the humble French town of St. Etienne four years later, where Cardin grew up.

Just like our parents wanted us to be doctors or lawyers while we were growing up, Cardin’s parents had different ideas as well, and wished for him to be an architect.

However, from a tender age of eight, he discovered his interest for dressmaking after designing dresses for his neighbour’s child, and the rest was history.

2. Impressive Resume From The Start

Since he was 17, Cardin began his short stint as an apprentice for a tailor named Manby, where he learned the art of tailoring suits.

When he got to Paris in 1944, known as the fashion capital of the world, Cardin joined Pacquin’s fashion house. There he started designing and making elaborate masks and costumes for motion pictures and the theatre, and got his big break when his work was featured in Jean Cocteau’s 1946 film Beauty and the Beast.

Cocteau was so impressed with Cardin’s work that he put him in touch with the famous designer Christian Dior, already internationally known at the time.

3. Once Worked With Dior

Taken under the wing of Christian Dior, Cardin was on the team that helped to design the 1947 “New Look” collection.

The then young designer impressed Dior so much that he said, “Designers like Pierre Cardin are the future of haute couture.”

He also went on to design the famous Bar collection, which involved tight jackets and long black skirts, leading fashion experts and buyers to naturally think of him as the heir who would continue the Dior legacy.

4. Started His Legacy In 1950

However, Cardin had bigger dreams for himself – and set out to open his own shop in 1950, making costumes like he did before, along with his own men’s suit line.

He designed several dresses for the city’s numerous extravagant balls, including 30 for a masquerade ball at Venice’s Palazzo Labia, touted as the “party of the century”. Dior also approached his protege to design a costume for him to attend that ball, stealing the show with a magnificent maned lion costume.

Cardin’s reputation started to build as his clientele grew, and so did the House of Cardin.

Two boutiques named Adam and Eve were then opened in the mid-1950s, where he sold male and female avant-garde couture.

5. Pioneering Designer

Cardin’s fashion was centered around futuristic designs, including that of clean and minimal geometrical shapes, as well as space themed collections.

The designer’s bubble skirt dresses and Cardine mini dresses were among some of his best hits in female couture, sparking a trend in “mod chic”. One of his most prominent collections were the Space Age designs, which revolutionised futuristic fashion.

Not only was he talented with an eye for the future, but he was bold as well – the designer launched a ready-to-wear range in the Printempts department store in 1959, costing him an expulsion from the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture, a guild for French fashion designers.

Cardin was also one of the first to venture into foreign markets such as China, Japan and America, solidifying his place as an internationally renowned designer.

6. He Designed Outfits For The Beatles And Other Countries

How popular was Cardin, you ask?

Well, popular enough to be acknowledged by The Beatles and the Philippine government.

At the peak of Cardin’s suit making business, he had designed some of his groundbreaking iconic suits featuring collarless jackets and no lapels as a way for young men to show their individuality.

This garnered attention by The Beatles, and they donned the suits after recognising Cardin’s ability to look “one step ahead of tomorrow”.

In 1971, he also redesigned the traditional Barong Tagalog costume of the Philippines.

7. Licensing Legend

Besides his talent for dressmaking and designing, Cardin was regarded by most as a man with a strong business acumen.

Talk about a household name that’s as prominent as the Starbucks or McDonald’s you see every time you turn a corner.

He was one of the first designers to license his fashions with his logos, and didn’t stop at just fashion – the brand name could soon be found on perfume, sunglasses, furniture, and a multitude of other items.

It even included boxer shorts, and he’s also said that even if someone asked him to put his name on toilet paper, he’d agree. However, while the move made his name even more famous and brought him more revenue, it only meant that the brand was getting more diluted.

And yes, this explains why almost everyone has once used a Pierre Cardin wallet or worn a Pierre Cardin belt.

8. He Went Into Industrial Designing

Cardin even stretched his far hand into the industrial design scene with thirteen basic design themes that could be applied anywhere.

He designed the interior of cars, in conjunction with American Motors Corporation (AMC) – where buyers could choose to customise their vehicles with a Cardin theme.

9. He Even Owned Restaurants And Property

Fashion going together with food would probably be the last thing you think of, but Cardin was a unique man indeed.

In the 1980s, Cardin bought over Paris restaurant Maxim’s and expanded it, opening outlets globally. Following that, he even launched Minim’s, a chain of fancy fast-food joints that brought the original Belle Epoque decor of the exclusive eatery back to life.

Just like his parents wanted, Cardin did eventually get to designing and owning a property of his own – the Palais des Bulles, also known as Bubble Palace, a venue with residences and event spaces built in the cliffs of the French riviera.

10. His Last Venture Was In February

Back in February, Cardin’s last venture was teaming up with 27-year-old designer Pierre Courtial, an up and coming young designer a great 70 years younger than he was.

Inspired by Cardin’s trademark geometrical designs, the collection was unveiled at the House of Cardin, the senior designer’s studio along Paris’s chic Rue Saint-Honore.

This just shows that fashion never dies; it just evolves.

May Pierre Cardin rest in peace.

Featured Image: Alex Gakos / Shutterstock.com