Pierre Cardin the visionary designer died on Tuesday in Neuilly-sur-Seine, just outside Paris at the age of 98. He is the pioneer of new elite fashion and has changed the business of fashion. He has designed merchandise, from highly fashioned apparel to bath towels. He has contributed in the dresses for famous artists, political luminaries, tastemakers and members of the Haute bourgeoisie.
He designed bubble dresses, aviator jumpsuits and even fragrances and automobiles, ashtrays, pickle jars as well. He has waved his own flag n the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris. He was also been requested from NASA to design dresses, that was an interpretation of a spacesuit as the space age took birth in 1969.
It seems that he was influenced by geometry. His designs often rendered with geometric shapes, crafted in fabrics like silver foil, paper and brightly coloured vinyl. The shapes were the reflections of the aesthetic of the early 1960s.
His ready to wear men’s clothing was introduced in 1960. Built on narrow shoulders, high armholes and a fitted waist were streamlined and somewhat severe. Some are with traditional collars in as Neheru style, a namesake adaptation of the style worn by the Indian prime minister.
These Neheru suits were adopted in the United States. These were grabbed the attention when Beatles appeared in knockoff versions on the Ed Sullivan television show in 1966
Mr Cardin thought to introduce his designs to the international spectators in 1950s. He has brought his designs to Moscow, Tokyo and Beijing, to perish the international boundaries.
In 1957, he becomes the first to start a business with japan, within only two years of selling his fashion there. He received large consignments for fashionable clothing in central Europe and Asia in 1957 and by end of the 1960s, he was offering his designs for mass production in China. In 1983, Cardin became the first French couturier to penetrate the Soviet Union: His designs were manufactured in Soviet factories and sold under the Cardin label in Cardin boutiques in Moscow.
He also produced musicals and dance for the Pilobolus company. He established himself as an impresario for experimental arts groups in Paris, showing their work at L’Espace Cardin. L’Espace was the scene of Juno and Avos, a Soviet rock opera that Mr Cardin imported to Paris in 1983.
It will not be enough to describe his experience and achievement in a single paper. He has brought a revolution in the fashion industry. He is not only a splendid designer but also a great seer to the future. He has adopted the cultures and designs of specific nations and moulded the designs accordingly. His name will be immortal in the streets of the fashion industry always.