Iconic French Fashion Designer Pierre Cardin Passes Away at 98

Iconic fashion designer Pierre Cardin sadly passed away two years shy of turning 100. The star’s death was reported on social media by the French Academy of Fine Arts.

On Tuesday, December 29, 2020, legendary French fashion designer Pierre Cardin passed away at the age of 98. The star was well-known for building a fashion brand that included a vast array of products.

His name appeared on bedsheets to wristwatches and much more. The late designer’s iconic Space Age styles launched his fashion designing career in the 1960s and he lasted in the scene for decades.

Cardin’s death was reported on Twitter by the French Academy of Fine Arts. The academy didn’t reveal what had caused the star’s death after he had been a member of the organization since 1992.

However, the creative’s family told “Agence France-Presse” that he’d died in a hospital in Neuilly-sur-Seine, which is near Paris. The iconic designer was born as Pietro Cardin in 1922 near Treviso in Italy.

The late designer actually started revolutionalizing the fashion world in the early 1950s. He did this with fellow Frenchman Andre Courreges and two other Paris-based designers who were known for their Space Age styles.

Spain’s Paco Rabanne was also part of the revolution as well. At one point, the iconic star worked shortly with people like Christian Dior and Elsa Schiaparelli, however, he ended up opening his own house in Paris.

His starting range was costumes and masks before he got to deliver his first collection in 1953. By the following year, the designer was so successful with his “bubble” dress that it put his label on the map.

In 1959, Cardin had his very first ready-to-wear fashion show at Paris’ Printemps department store but the move had consequences. The initiative actually landed him in hot water with one organization.

He was temporarily kicked out of the Chambre Syndicale, which was the organization that was the governing body of French fashion. Cardin’s relationship with them was quite unstable.

Seeing that he wasn’t making headway with the organization, the late designer ended up leaving to allow him to stage shows the way he wanted. Cardin also had a high-profile relationship that boosted his brand.

The creative dated the “Jules and Jim” French star Jeanne Moreau. The couple described their relationship as “true love,” and they lasted together for around five years but they never married.

Cardin sold dozens of his Chinese licenses to two local firms in 2009. In 2017, the Rhode Island Preservation Society of Newport County hosted a runway show as an introduction to “Pierre Cardin: 70 Years of Innovation.”