Renowned designer Pierre Cardin passed away at the age of 98. The news was made public by the Academy of Fine Arts in France. Cardin's family told Agence France-Presse he died at a hospital in Neuilly, near Paris. More details are expected to be revealed.
Pierre Cardin was born near Treviso, Italy. His parents were wealthy landowners, but to escape fascism they left Italy and settled in France in 1924. Cardin started his career early, at the age of 14 where he also learned the basics of creation. He left home in 1939 to get a job as a tailor.
He worked with Elsa Schiaparelli and later became the head of Christian Dior's atelier, but was turned down by Balenciaga. However, this did not stop him from later founding his own fashion house in 1950 and four years later he introduced to the world the famous dress known as "bubble dress".
In the 1960s and 1970s, his creations were known for their futuristic inspiration. Pierre Cardin used his name as a brand, initially as a prestigious fashion brand, then in the 1960s he successfully expanded into perfumes and cosmetics and beyond. But the excessive expansion negatively affected credibility, as his name appeared everywhere.
However the contribution in the field of fashion is important. He is appreciated for his avant-garde style and space-inspired creations. He preferred geometric shapes and motifs and was among the first to promote unisex fashion.
