The Iconic fashion designer Pierre Cardin dies at the age of 98
On the 29th of December the fashion industry has lost a legend at the age of 98 in a hospital in Neuilly, near Paris.
»I was born to be an artist »
Son of Italian immigrants, when he was a child, he looked up at the sky and he imagined all the stars were women in evening dresses, and so when he went to make evening gowns for women, he imagined that they were stars in the galaxy.
His birth name is ‘’Pietro Cardin’’ and he was born near Treviso in Italy in 1922, the youngest of 11 children. His family moved to France when he was a child. Growing up in Saint Étienne, it was hoped that Cardin would become an architect but he was fascinated by fashion. He learned to be a tailor at the age of 17 while working with the Red-Cross.
His death has been announced to Agence France-Presse by his family, on Tuesday 29th in a hospital in Neuilly, near Paris, to end a majestic era of elegant yet bold designs created by the lost Icon.
Futuristic designs have always reigned over Cardin’s collections, he was well-known for his bold, space-age designs in the late 1950s. In the 60’s he dressed the Beatles which was a huge hit, he also dressed Brigitte Bardot and Elizabeth Taylor.
He went beyond the fashion industry and also made uniforms for nurses and for Pakistan airlines. In 1969, he created space-suits for Nasa. “The dresses I prefer are those I invent for a life that does not yet exist” Cardin said at the time.‘’Fashion design is so diverse. It does not have clear identities as before with Balenciaga, Chanel, Cardin, Courreges. Design is about being recognised without a label. Elegance alone is not sufficient.’’
“They said [ready to wear clothes] will kill your name, and it saved me,” this icon has also collaborated with the French department store Printemps on a ready to wear collection, something that seems very normal today but was a very bold move that took him so much courage and put him at a risk at the time. Ever since « Pierre Cardin » have appeared on clothes, perfumes, accessories, furniture, cars and beyond…
« My aim was the street, that my name and my creations be on the street. Celebrities, princesses were not my cup of tea. I respected them, I dined with them, but I could not see them in my dresses. In any case, they would have looked ridiculous. » – Pierre Cardin
