Pierre Cardin
Pierre Cardin (real name Pietro Costante Cardin) was born on 2 July 1922 in San Biagio di Callalta near Treviso in Veneto, Italy, the youngest of seven children. The son of a wine merchant, he went to Paris, France in 1944 and began his career there first as a fashion illustrator for the Paquin fashion house. Together with André Courrèges and Paco Rabanne, he is considered one of the inventors of so-called "futuristic fashion". Until his death on 29 December 2020 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Pierre Cardin was active in the fashion industry for 76 years - longer than anyone else. His eventful life shows many exciting stages that made him the fashion icon he ultimately was. How it all began: In 1946, he spent three months making costumes for the film "La Belle et la Bête" by Jean Cocteau. In 1947, he designed the so-called New Look" for women at Christian Dior. At that time, narrow wasp waists and voluptuous, flared skirts became a trend in women's fashion. However, it was still a long way to the now famous men's jeans. In 1950, Pierre Cardin founded his own haute couture company. He wanted to create high-quality ready-to-wear clothing for the world market. Everyone should be able to afford his fashion - attractive, affordable and fashionably right on the pulse of time. He brought elegance to everyday women's fashion. It was not until ten years later that Pierre Cardin became the first couturier ever to design entire fashion lines for men - including men's jeans and tops suitable for everyday wear, which were popular then as now. Pierre Cardin proved to be not only a creative mind but also a cool calculator. Thus, he used his own brand for promotional licensing deals. He lent his name to various licensees for whom he allegedly created about one hundred drawings of new designs per year. His men's jeans became real bestsellers because they reflected Cardin's good name as well as practicality - a mixture of functionality and affordable luxury. Since 1992, Pierre Cardin's men's jeans and fashionable tops have been produced and distributed under licence by the Ahlers company. A little anecdote: Besides his collections for men and women, Pierre Cardin also designed uniforms for the army, the police and the post office of the People's Republic of China in 1995. His creations were so well received that he was asked to design uniforms for other countries as well."
