Pierre Cardin, born Pietro Costante Cardin, was an Italian-born naturalised-French fashion designer.
27 Facts About Pierre Cardin
2.
Pierre Cardin is known for what were his avant-garde style and Space Age designs.
3.
Pierre Cardin preferred geometric shapes and motifs, often ignoring the female form.
4.
Pierre Cardin founded his fashion house in 1950 and introduced the "bubble dress" in 1954.
5.
Pierre Cardin was born near Treviso in northern Italy, the son of Maria Montagner and Alessandro Pierre Cardin.
6.
Pierre Cardin's parents were wealthy wine merchants, but lost their fortune in World War I To escape the blackshirts they left Italy and settled in Saint-Etienne, France in 1924 along with his ten siblings.
7.
Pierre Cardin's father wanted him to study architecture, but from childhood he was interested in dressmaking.
8.
Pierre Cardin worked with Elsa Schiaparelli until he became head of Christian Dior's tailleure atelier in 1947, but was denied work at Balenciaga.
9.
Pierre Cardin's career was launched when he designed about 30 of the costumes for a masquerade ball in Venice, hosted by Carlos de Beistegui in 1951.
10.
Pierre Cardin inaugurated his haute couture output in 1953 with his first collection of women's clothing and became a member of the Chambre Syndicale, a French association of haute couture designers.
11.
Pierre Cardin was the first couturier to turn to Japan as a high fashion market when he travelled there in 1957.
12.
Pierre Cardin was the first to combine the "mini" and the "maxi" skirts of the 1970s by introducing a new hemline that had long pom-pom panels or fringes.
13.
Pierre Cardin was the first to combine extremely short and ankle-length pieces.
14.
Pierre Cardin made dresses with slits and batwing sleeves with novel dimensions and mixed circular movement and gypsy skirts with structured tops.
15.
Pierre Cardin became an icon for starting this popular fashion movement of the early 1970s.
16.
Pierre Cardin resigned from the Chambre Syndicale in 1966 and began showing his collections in his own venue.
17.
Pierre Cardin designed uniforms for Pakistan International Airlines, which were introduced from 1966 to 1971 and became an instant hit.
18.
In 1971, Pierre Cardin redesigned the Barong Tagalog, a national costume of the Philippines, by opening the front, removing the cuffs that needed cufflinks, flaring the sleeves, and minimizing the embroidery.
19.
In 1975, Pierre Cardin opened his first furniture boutique on the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore.
20.
Pierre Cardin was a member of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture et du Pret-a-Porter from 1953 to 1993.
21.
Pierre Cardin used his name as a brand, initially a prestigious fashion brand, then in the 1960s extended successfully into perfumes and cosmetics.
22.
However, the Pierre Cardin name was still very profitable, although the indiscriminate licensing approach was considered a failure.
23.
Pierre Cardin entered industrial design by developing thirteen basic design "themes" that would be applied to various products, each consistently recognizable and carrying his name and logo.
24.
The Pierre Cardin Javelins came with the designer's emblems on the front fenders and had a limited selection of exterior colors to coordinate with the special interiors.
25.
However, 12 Pierre Cardin optioned cars were special ordered in Midnight Black paint.
26.
Pierre Cardin self-identified as being mostly gay, but in the 1960s he had a four-year relationship with actress Jeanne Moreau.
27.
Pierre Cardin died on 29 December 2020, at the American Hospital of Paris, in Neuilly-sur-Seine, at the age of 98.