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Cardin, who was born to a low-income family in northern Italy but became a French-based fashion superstar, died at a hospital in Neuilly, west of Paris, her family said.
This file photo taken on October 16, 2014 shows French designer Pierre Cardin posing at the Espace Pierre Cardin in Paris. Image: AFP.
PARIS – French fashion designer Pierre Cardin, hailed for his visionary creations but also for bringing stylish clothing to the masses, died Tuesday at the age of 98, his family told AFP.
Cardin, who was born into a low-income family in northern Italy but became a French-based fashion superstar, died at a hospital in Neuilly, west of Paris, her family said.
“It is a day of great sadness for our entire family. Pierre Cardin no longer exists,” the statement said.
He said that after a life spanning a century, he had left France and the world as a “great unique artistic heritage” and not just in fashion.
Born into poverty in 1922 near Venice in northern Italy, his family emigrated to France when he was a young child.
“Italian by birth, Pierre Cardin never forgot his origins as he brought unconditional love to France,” his family said.
FROM APPRENTICE TO GLOBAL EMPIRE
He grew up in the French industrial city of Saint Etienne and was a tailor’s apprentice in Vichy at the age of 17, already specializing in women’s suits.
Upon moving to Paris, he designed the fascinating sets and costumes for the film. Beauty and the Beast with the poet, artist and director Jean Cocteau in 1947.
After a stint at Christian Dior, he had already created his own fashion label in 1950.
She quickly established a name as an innovator, creating the now legendary bubble gown in 1954.
It also broke new ground commercially, awakening the feathers in the fashion establishment to produce a ready-to-wear collection for the Printemps department store in Paris.
Her 1964 “Space Age” collection continues to be a landmark in fashion history with its cropped dresses, knitted cat suits, skinny leather pants, skinny helmets and batwing sweaters.
His global empire had a strong presence in Japan and he also signed production deals with the Cold War-era Soviet Union in 1978. He also became the first French designer in 1979 to forge ties with China.
He was also the first designer to hold a fashion show on Moscow’s Red Square in 1991, drawing a crowd of 200,000.
His family praised how he had been immersed “from the beginning in the flow of globalization.”
But the heavily used and franchised brand Cardin later showed signs of wear and tear and, in 2011, put its fashion label up for sale, though it didn’t sell.
“We are all proud of his tenacious ambition and the daring that he has shown throughout his life,” said his family.
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