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French designer Pierre Cardin, who revolutionized the fashion world with his visionary creations but also turned his name into a global, revenue-generating brand, died Tuesday at the age of 98.
Cardin gained fame in postwar Europe with his futuristic designs that seemed to have come from another planet, but he also used his business acumen to create the first truly global fashion empire.
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 in a statement.
“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, Cardin had left France and the world as a “great unique artistic heritage”, and not just in fashion.
Designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, Benetton’s artistic director, said that Cardin was “a very extraordinary man” who did not draw boundaries between fashion, design or architecture.
“His inspiration fueled my imagination,” he told AFP, adding that for Cardin the marketing and promotion of his art “was as important as the art itself.”
Jean-Paul Gaultier, the so-called “enfant terrible” of the French fashion world, paid tribute to Cardin, who employed him in the early stages of his career.
“Thank you Monsieur Cardin for opening the doors to fashion and making my dream possible,” Gaultier wrote on Twitter.
Couturier, designer, French ambassador, academic, patron, throughout his life, Pierre Cardin has done an excellent job.
Thank you Mr. Cardin for opening the doors to fashion and making my dream possible … #Pierre Cardin pic.twitter.com/GeworJSsuA– Jean Paul Gaultier (@JPGaultier) December 29, 2020
Also read: Cardin’s retrospective at the New York museum aims to revive his once bold image
From apprentice to global empire
Born in 1922 near Venice in northern Italy, Cardin was a young boy when his family emigrated to France.
“Italian by birth, Pierre Cardin never forgot his origins as he brought unconditional love to France,” his family said.
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.
Cardin also broke new ground commercially, waking up the feathers in the fashion establishment to produce a ready-to-wear collection for the Printemps department store in Paris.
His 1964 “Space Age” collection remains a milestone in fashion history. “My favorite piece of clothing is the one I create for a life that does not yet exist: the world of tomorrow,” he once said.
Also read: Style legend Jean-Paul Gaultier retires from fashion
‘Goal was the street’
Cardin’s global empire had a strong presence in Japan and broke deals with the Soviet Union and China in the late 1970s.
He was also the first designer to hold a fashion show on Moscow’s Red Square in 1991, drawing a crowd of 200,000.
Cardin’s family praised how he had been “immersed in the flow of globalization from the beginning.”
The designer insisted that he wanted his creations to be worn by ordinary people and not just displayed by celebrities.
“My goal was the street, that my name and my creations were on the street. Famous, princesses … that was not my cup of tea. I respected them, I ate with them, but I did not see them in my dresses,” he said.
Its coveted brand was used not only on men’s and women’s clothing sold in retail outlets around the world, but also on products such as sunglasses and luggage, through a myriad of licensing agreements.
These annoyed some purists, but he did not apologize.
“It is very difficult to make a name for yourself in fashion. When you have one, you need to take advantage of it,” he told AFP in 2019.
“If I made money with licenses, it was to be free and do more than just fashion.
But the widely used and franchised Cardin brand eventually lost its luster, and when it launched its fashion label in 2011, it failed to 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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