Born in Italy in 1922, Pierre Cardin arrived in Paris in 1945. In 1950, after working with Christian Dior and Elsa Schiaparelli, he decided to found his own Couture House at 10 Rue Richepanse in Paris, and he presented his first women’s haute couture collection in 1953. In 1954, he created one of his most famous designs: “La robe bulle,” and opened his first women’s haute-couture boutique at 118 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris, the brand’s historic address today.
Cardin’s primary objective has always been to democratize fashion. He launched the concept of “licensing” in the fashion world and developed Pierre Cardin products in North and South America, and rapidly worldwide. The expansion of the Pierre Cardin brand knew no bounds. The universe that the designer built over the decades is multifaceted, both protean and innovative. Fashion, accessories, jewelry, perfumes, furniture, theatrical costumes, tableware.
Cardin expanded his influence into many spheres of creation and has never ceased to experiment. Geometric shapes, color combinations, unique and futuristic lines, recognized the world over. From the bubble dress to the Beatles’ Mao suit, from cosmonaut fashion to unisex fashion, from the porthole-cut chasuble to the molded synthetic fiber dress, the Pierre Cardin name has shaken up the boundaries of fashion.
Pierre Cardin passed away in 2020 at the age of 98.