CIRCA Cardin

Feb 3, 2011 | Designs and Designers

Pierre Cardin

Since 1950, Pierre Cardin (b. 1922) has changed the look and business of the fashion industry. He has designed everything from haute couture to prêt-à-porter fashions, PIA airline uniforms to NASA spacesuits, airplane and automobile interiors, hotels and restaurants, and furniture, lighting and accessories.

Pierre Cardin worked as a tailor’s apprentice in Vichy, France as a teen, where he learned the art of tailoring suits. He moved to Paris in 1945 and worked for prominent couturiers such as Madame Paquin, Elsa Schiaparelli, Christian Bérard, and Christian Dior before starting his own house in 1950.

Pierre Cardin was the first couturier to design for men, the first to launch prêt-à-porter, the first Western designer to show collections in China and the Soviet Union, and the first to license his name for a non-fashion item.

via Time CIRCA 1974

Pierre Cardin’s sculptural approach to fashion translated seamlessly into furniture designs in the 1970s and 80s. Pierre Cardin furniture combined the bold outlines and lacquered surfaces of Asian art with the simple geometry and sharp lines of Art Deco. The sharp edges, flawless lacquering and chrome veneers of Pierre Cardin furniture epitomizes the glamour of the late 70s and early 80s French “disco chic”.

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