Pierre Cardin, French designer of clothes for women and also a pioneer in the design of high fashion for men.
Cardin's father, a wealthy French wine merchant, wished him to study architecture, but from childhood, he was interested in dressmaking. At 17 he went to Vichy, France, to become a tailor at a men's shop. After World War II he joined the Parisian fashion house of Paquin, where he helped design the costumes for Jean Cocteau's film Beauty and the Beast.
Cardin's father, a wealthy French wine merchant, wished him to study architecture, but from childhood, he was interested in dressmaking. At 17 he went to Vichy, France, to become a tailor at a men's shop. After World War II he joined the Parisian fashion house of Paquin, where he helped design the costumes for Jean Cocteau's film Beauty and the Beast.
Pierre Cardin
In 1950 he opened a shop of his own and gradually gained a solid reputation as a male and female avant-garde suit maker.
In the mid-1960s his stark, short tunics and his use of vinyl, helmets, and goggles helped launch the so-called Space Age look.
In the mid-1960s his stark, short tunics and his use of vinyl, helmets, and goggles helped launch the so-called Space Age look.
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. Taken under the wing of Christian Dior, Cardin was on the team that helped to design the 1947 "New Look" collection.
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 Printemps department store in 1959, costing him an expulsion from the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture, a guild for French fashion designers.
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".
This garnered attention by The Beatles, and they donned the suits after recognising Cardin's ability to look "one step ahead of tomorrow".
Cardin later became famous for licensing his name for use on
a variety of products (the brand name could soon be found on perfume, sunglasses, furniture, and a multitude of other items). The practice of licensing subsequently became common for fashion designers. And yes, this explains why almost everyone has once used a Pierre Cardin wallet or worn a Pierre Cardin belt.
a variety of products (the brand name could soon be found on perfume, sunglasses, furniture, and a multitude of other items). The practice of licensing subsequently became common for fashion designers. And yes, this explains why almost everyone has once used a Pierre Cardin wallet or worn a Pierre Cardin belt.
