1960s Pierre Cardin Handbag, Burgundy Leather

Who Was Pierre Cardin

Pierre Cardin, at the height of his powers in the 1960s & 1970s, designed some of the most futuristic jewelry, clothing & hats of the era. Famous for using geometric and bubble shapes, his clothes often looked more like art than practical fashion. Born in Italy in 1922, Cardin grew up in France and starting apprenticing as a tailor’s apprentice at age 14.  

Cardin moved to Paris in 1945. There, he studied architecture and worked with fashion designer Paquin after World War II.  He moved on to Elsa Schiaparelli and then became head of design at Christian Dior.   

Cardin founded his own haute couture house in 1950. His career was launched when he designed about 30 costumes for “the party of the century”, a masquerade ball in Venice in September 1951. A fashion innovator, Cardin was one of the first couture designers to create a ready-to-wear line. 

He was also a trailblazer in licensing his name for products such as perfume, automobiles, and using his logo on accessories and furniture. Cardin eventually overexposed his brand through that licensing and it fell out of favor in the 1990s.

In the 2000s he retook control of his branding and emerged with new designs plus a renovation of the ruins of the castle in Lacoste, Vaucluse that was once inhabited by the Marquis de Sade.  Cardin died in December 2020.  Check out our blog post – Cardin: Forever Fashion.