Tuesday, December 29, 2020 one of fashion’s giants fell at 98 years of age, at the The American Hospital of Paris in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France.
He’s been called a futurist whose designs crossed many genres. He designed apparel, accessories, shoes and housewares as well as furniture and even an automobile interior.
Pierre Cardin with his Cobra desk and chair. Photo, CC BY-SA 4.0Mr. Cardin was best known for his space aged “mod” designs of the 1960s and 70s, that ignored the female form.
Cardin became one of the first fashion giants to license his brand around 1979. The logo could be found on everything from fragrances to footwear. I was so excited to own my minuscule piece of his marketing brilliance. In the late 1980s, I bought my first full set of MATCHING luggage pieces, that I proudly carried, yes carried (wheels on luggage was not a common thing then) from place to place, as I made my way through the world.
As the saying goes, “All fashion ends in excess.” Unfortunately, that’s what happened here. With an estimated 1,000 licenses of his brand at the time, by Mr. Cardin’s name became virtually worthless, as it had been over used for too many years.
The train case below is just one item of the six-piece luggage set that I still have.
Pierre Cardin was a pioneer in several areas. He was one of the first to put his logo on the outside of his garments. He introduced ready-to-Wear to the Chambre Syndicale and was expelled from the organization because of that. He opened his own museum; was the first high fashion designer to introduce a children’s line and men’s casual collection. And, oh yes, he bought the famous Maxim’s de Paris, made it into an international chain of restaurants and of course branded several food items. I bought biscuits as gifts for friends during my 2004 trip to Paris – and kept a couple for myself. They were delicious.
There’s a 13 minute video , 15 Things You Didn’t Know About Pierre Cardin on YouTube. Here’s to a man who knew what he wanted and went for it, an extraordinary designer and a life well-lived!
Attributions:
“Cosmos” Dress” by Museum at FIT is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
1972 AMC Javelin Photo: Courtesy of Christopher Ziemnowicz
Train Case Photos: Aleta Campbell
Maxim’s Biscuit Box Photos: Aleta Campbell