Pierre Cardin

Pierre Cardin ( born July 2, 1922 as Pietro Costante Cardin in San Biagio di Callalta in Treviso, Italy ) is a French fashion designer and entrepreneur. Cardin applies with Paco Rabanne and André Courrèges as the inventor of the futuristic fashion from 1963.

Life and work

Fashion

Cardin was the youngest of seven children of a wine merchant. After the liberation of France in 1944 he went to Paris where he started as a fashion designer in the house Paquin his fashion career, and thus is regarded as the longest active in the fashion business man in the world. 1946 Cardin designed then during his three-month employment in the house of Elsa Schiaparelli's the costumes for Jean Cocteau's film La Belle et la Bête. After that he wanted to start from the very regarded by him Cristóbal Balenciaga, but did not obtain employment and, therefore, began in 1947 with Christian Dior. There he designed the " New Look " for women, which was characterized mainly by flared wastefully cut skirts, narrow shoulders and narrow waists. In 1950 he founded the first couturier own haute couture company that makes quality ready-made garments ( Prêt -à- Porter) produces for the world market. So fashion and artistic processing on high-grade clothing was to design affordable for a wider audience. His women's fashion from this period excelled despite elegance mainly by simplicity and practicality. A decade later, Cardin designed the first major fashion designers also lines for men.

Cardin also had a pioneer in matters of economic implementation of fashion; so he was the first among relevant fashion designers who used his extensive brand for the licensing business and so today still does. He forgives the name Cardin to various licensees and creates the respective products. By his own account he created today about a hundred a year design drawings for its customers. From Cardin designed underwear is also sold by discounters such as Lidl.

Already in the 1970s, he made ​​first contacts with the PRC, with the success that he was able in 1995 to sign a contract with the Chinese government for the manufacture of uniforms for the army, police and post office. More contracts for uniforms with other countries followed suit.

Product Design

Cardin's business acumen is unparalleled, because it was not limited to the fashion. There is hardly an article from the consumer goods sector, which was not produced by his label: " watches, tableware, bed linen and bath towels, porcelain, ceramics, tableware, furniture fabrics, transistors devices, record players and car interior ". In the automotive sector Cardin's name appeared on AMC Javelin model (1973 ), at the Sbarro Stash (1976 ) and at the Cardin Evolution I (1980). From the 1970s, he made furniture design, colorful lacquered bentwood furniture in geometric style, the so-called " sculptures utilitaires " ( use sculptures). Here was one of Philippe Starck to its employees.

Property

In 1981, he earned the Nobel Parisian restaurant Maxim's, and had renovated it. He later opened branches including in Monte Carlo, Brussels, Geneva, Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo, Moscow and New York.

In May 2001, he bought the castle of the Marquis de Sade in the southern French village of Lacoste. Cardin was the ruined castle ruins rebuilt to offer there concerts and music festivals can, and he acquired a number of additional properties in place. Cardin wants to make the small place to a " Saint Tropez of culture '. In the village (as 20xx ) suggests, however, resistance. Residents keep him despite his investment of 22 million euros, to be a " ruthless real estate shark " and as a " feudal landlords " to occur. Cardin then threw the inhabitants before the lack of understanding in relation to its cultural plans.

Cardin decreed in 2007 over 800 companies in 180 countries and approximately 200,000 employees, 850 licenses, 18 restaurants and four theaters ( Théâtre des Ambassadeurs ). Furthermore, among its hotels, media, castles and ships conglomerate. Noteworthy at Cardin, among other things, that it does not belong to the holding company and never shares of the company were sold. Cardin claimed to have made in the history of the company with no debt.

Pierre Cardin now lives in Theoule -sur -Mer, a seaside town near Cannes, in the "Palais Bulles ", an unusual house which he has built together with the Spanish architect Antti Lovag. The 25 rooms of the plant are spherical ( bubbles / bulles ); it is ( together with its amphitheater and pool), a reference for organic architecture.

On the occasion of his 90th birthday in July 2012, many media reported about him.

Awards (selection)

• Commander of the French Legion of Honour
• Commander of the Ordre national du Mérite
• Member of the Académie des Beaux- Arts ( the only fashion designer )
• Golden Rathausmann the City of Vienna 2005

Quotes

"I have always liked it to exist through my work, and I've never been amused to amuse me. "

" But I'm still the only innovative in the world! All copy me. I demokratisiere, trivialize the others. All to do now what I 've done 40, 50 years ago. But there is one big difference: the brand " Pierre Cardin " is mine alone. I'm the only fashion designer, who has the rights not sold on his brand. "