Pierre Cardin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pierre Cardin
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Cardin in 1978
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Pietro Costante Cardin
2 July 1922 San Biagio di Callalta, Italy
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| Died | 29 December 2020 (aged 98) Neuilly-sur-Seine, France
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| Occupation | Grand couturier |
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Pierre Cardin, born Pietro Costante Cardin (July 2, 1922 – December 29, 2020), was a famous fashion designer. He was born in Italy but later became a French citizen. Cardin was known for his new and futuristic styles, often inspired by space travel.
He loved using geometric shapes in his designs. Sometimes, his clothes did not follow the usual shape of the body. He also created clothes that could be worn by both boys and girls. These designs were often very experimental.
Pierre Cardin started his own fashion company in 1950. In 1954, he introduced his famous "bubble dress." He was also named a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador in 1991. Later, in 2009, he became a United Nations FAO Goodwill Ambassador.
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Pierre Cardin's Early Life
Pierre Cardin was born near Treviso in northern Italy. His parents were Maria Montagner and Alessandro Cardin. His family were wine merchants who lost their money during World War I. To escape political problems, his family moved to Saint-Étienne, France, in 1924. Pierre was one of eleven children.
His father wanted him to study architecture. However, Pierre was interested in dressmaking from a young age.
Starting a Fashion Career
Cardin moved to Paris in 1945. After World War II, he worked with the fashion house of Jeanne Paquin. He also worked with Elsa Schiaparelli. In 1947, he became the head of Christian Dior's tailoring workshop. While at Dior, he helped create the popular Bar suit for Dior's first collection in 1947. This showed his skill in tailoring, which he would be known for later.
Cardin started his own fashion company in 1950. His career took off when he designed about 30 costumes for a masquerade ball in Venice in 1951. In 1953, he launched his first collection of women's clothing. He also joined the Chambre Syndicale, a French group for haute couture designers.
The next year, he opened his first shop called Eve. He also introduced the "bubble dress." This was a short, bubble-shaped dress made by cutting fabric in a special way over a stiff base. In 1957, he was the first fashion designer to look to Japan as a market for high fashion.
New Fashion Trends
As haute couture (high fashion) became less popular, ready-to-wear clothes grew. Cardin's designs became very popular. He was the first to combine the "mini" and "maxi" skirts of the 1970s. He did this by adding long pom-pom panels or fringes to hemlines.
In the 1970s, Cardin started another new trend called "mod chic." He was the first to combine very short and ankle-length pieces. He made dresses with slits and batwing sleeves. He also mixed circular shapes and gypsy skirts with structured tops. These designs allowed him to play with geometric shapes, using both circular and straight lines. Cardin became a symbol for this popular fashion movement.
Space-Inspired Designs
Cardin was very interested in space travel. In 1970, he visited NASA (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration). There, he even tried on the original spacesuit worn by Neil Armstrong, the first person to walk on the moon. Cardin also designed spacesuits for NASA in 1970.
In 1966, Cardin left the Chambre Syndicale. He began to show his collections in his own special venue. He also designed uniforms for Pakistan International Airlines from 1966 to 1971, which were very popular.
In 1971, Cardin redesigned the Barong Tagalog. This is a national costume of the Philippines. He changed it by opening the front, removing the cuffs, and flaring the sleeves. He also made the embroidery simpler. His design was more fitted to the body, unlike the traditional loose style.
Other Creative Works
In 1975, Cardin opened his first furniture shop in Paris. He won the Cartier Golden Thimble award three times (1977, 1979, and 1983). This award was given by French haute couture for the most creative collection of the season. He was a member of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture et du Prêt-à-Porter from 1953 to 1993.
Cardin's first American-made home furniture collection came out in 1977. He worked with several companies to create these items.
In 1994, Cardin decided to show his collections only to a small group of clients and journalists. After 15 years, he showed a new collection to 150 journalists at his unique "bubble home" in Cannes.
A book about Cardin's life, Pierre Cardin, his fabulous destiny, was written by Sylvana Lorenz. A documentary about his life and career, House of Cardin, was released in 2019.
The Pierre Cardin Brand
Pierre Cardin used his name as a brand. At first, it was a high-end fashion brand. In the 1960s, he successfully expanded into perfumes and cosmetics. From about 1988, his brand name was used on many different products. These included things like baseball caps and cigarettes.
Using his name on perfumes and cosmetics worked well because these products fit with the idea of a high-quality brand. However, putting his name on too many different kinds of products made the brand less special. Even so, the Cardin name was still very profitable. In 1986, it was estimated that Cardin earned over $10 million a year.
In 2011, Cardin tried to sell his business. He thought it was worth €1 billion, but others thought it was worth much less. In the end, he did not sell the brand.
Cardin's Car Designs
Cardin also worked in industrial design. He created thirteen basic design ideas that could be used on different products. Each design was easy to recognize and carried his name and logo. He expanded into new markets that most Paris fashion designers did not explore.
One of his business projects was with American Motors Corporation (AMC). Cardin designed the interior for the AMC Javelin car, starting in 1972. This was one of the first American cars to offer a special design package by a famous French fashion designer. It was a bold and unusual design. It featured "some of the wildest fabrics and patterns ever seen in any American car."
AMC initially thought they would sell 2,500 of these special cars. The unique interior option continued for the 1973 Javelins. In total, 4,152 AMC Javelins had this bold, multi-colored striped pattern. The colors included Chinese red, plum, white, and silver, all against a black background. These Cardin Javelins also had the designer's emblems on the front. They came in a limited choice of outside colors to match the special interiors.
Other Interests
Cardin owned a large house in Venice called Ca' Bragadin. He believed this house was once owned by Giacomo Casanova.
Death
Pierre Cardin passed away on December 29, 2020, at the American Hospital of Paris in Neuilly-sur-Seine. He was 98 years old.
Awards and Honors
- France: Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters (February 1983)
- France: Commander of the National Order of Merit (May 1985)
- Italy: Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (September 23, 1987)
- Japan: Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold and Silver Star (May 1991)
- France: Commander of the Legion of Honour (January 1997)
- Belarus: Order of Francysk Skaryna (January 7, 2004)
- Monaco: Commander of the Order of Cultural Merit (2007)
- Russia: Order of Friendship (June 24, 2014)
Images for kids
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Pierre Cardin's signature
See also
In Spanish: Pierre Cardin para niños
