With everlasting creations the success of French fashion designer Pierre Cardin has made
him one of the living legends in the fashion industry.

Born in Italy in the 1920s, Cardin move to Paris in the 1940’s where he studied
architecture. He gained work with Christian Dior before establishing his own fashion
house in 1950 to release haute couture in 1953. By the late 50’s he was the first couturier
to make Japan a high fashion market. He was also the first to present a ready-to-wear
collection in 1959 revolutionizing the way fashion was manufactured and purchased.

In 1966, he opened his own boutique from men in London’s famous central street “The
Strand”. With most of the cut on styles being manufactured in Britain his designs
generally suited the more conservative taste of British man with that worthy and looks of
long jackets pulled in at the waist, slim cut flat trousers and long coats.

Early on his career he grabbed headlines and became known for his original style of
space age or futuristic looks that held a new freedom of movement for women. And being
a designer that’s revolutionary, he was called upon the design the costumes for A Dandy
in Aspic, a film that called for fashion ahead of it’s time and staring a young Mia Farrow
who visited the house of Pierre Cardin for a final fitting of the clothes chosen for the film.

After many years of introducing new looks and styles opening more boutiques around the
world and creating the E-space cut on, a complex in Paris that exhibits works of young
creative people, Cardin in 1991 staged a dazzling fashion show in Moscow’s Red Square.

Wanting to establish a strong position he gave Moscow rights a rare opportunity to
admire his latest fashion collection, as well a retrospect of show of garments dating back
to the early 1950’s presenting 400 garments. With the display of different material shapes
and colors he was one of the numbers of western designers trying to break in to the
potentially lucrative Soviet market.

An exhibition celebrating Cardin’s 50 years in the fashion industry, opened in Paris at the
East Space Pierre Cardin warehouse to show to the public the whole aspect of his
creativity. It featured his designs which included bright colored garments on mannequins
plus accessories and shoes.

1997 saw collection by Sergio Altieri who was worked with Cardin for many years. The
collection for 1998 Spring-Summer ready-to-wear featured feminine ruffles and pastel
and primary colors and long fluid and classic designs.

Being Altieri fourth collection for the Cardin line floor length gowns were dawn with
exaggerated ruffles and show peak with the white floor-length bridal gown decorated
with rose bud ruffles on the sleeves.

The fashion house presented a steamed line collection in 1998 with jackets and geometric
neck wear for the men. Plastic was strongly in evidence especially for jackets and
trousers and it was genuinely agreed that Cardin’s design and Altieri had manage to
maintain a Cardin tradition of an architectural structure in his men’s wear while adding
more than touches with glistening fabrics and bright colors.

Almost ten years later and six decades into this career, Cardin gave away the traditional
model runway combination of showing his designs opting for a showroom and still
models for his 2006 and 2007 ready-to-wear collection. The showroom presentation was
also the first men’s ready-to-wear presentation in ten years.

Believing people get distracted by the beauty of models now he wants the viewers to
remember the clothes which contains cut out, circle cut sleeves and snap fasteners made
for geometric silhouette with the retro feel.

Pierre Cardin is now a roving ambassador for French style and is a man who has built an
empire which has become famous worldwide. His fashions are experimental and with
different shapes and motifs. And although some may not be realistic and functional in
everyday life they are however timeless.