French fashion designer Pierre Cardin has died at the age of 98, the French Academy of Fine Arts announced Tuesday in a statement on it’s Twitter handle.
Academy Of Fine Arts shows Grief on Pierre Cardin’s Death
The Perpetual Secretary, Laurent Petitgirard, and the members of the Academy of Fine Arts are deeply saddened to announce the death of their colleague Pierre Cardin. He had been elected on February 12, 1992 to the chair of Pierre Dux, “said the Academy of Fine Arts.
Born in Italy in 1922 as the youngest of 10 children, Cardin moved to France when he was little, when his family fled to Saint-Étienne to escape fascism. He worked various part-time jobs as a student, including working with a tailor, before leaving for Paris in 1945 with the dream of becoming a fashion designer.
While there, he worked for the home of Paquin and Elsa Schiaparelli, and later worked for Christian Dior during the “New Look” era, before settling in his own haute couture house in 1950. His best designs became famous among the wealthy socialites and were among the favorites of the American First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. Meanwhile, on screen and in magazines, Jeanne Moreau, Brigitte Bardot, and Mia Farrow telegraphed their talents to a general pop audience.
In the late 1950s, he had created his first collection of menswear, and later designed an iconic collection of collarless suits for The Beatles. He then worked for Christian Dior and was awarded the French Legion of Honor in 1983.
