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Pierre Cardin makes comeback, at 84
Wednesday Jun 28 13:50 AEST
Sixty years after launching himself into the world of fashion, French icon Pierre Cardin has nothing to prove, but next week he will return to centre stage during men's fashion week, staging his first presentation in 10 years.
"I still think I have something to say," Cardin told AFP in an interview ahead of the July 4 show in Paris, at which he will unveil new creations for spring-summer 2007 on wooden mannequins - just two days after turning 84.
The designer - known for his bold, geometric avant-garde designs - says he is determined to show that he was still around and just as creative as he always was.
"If I'm getting dated they will see it ... perhaps they are right, I've never made any claims," he said, relaxing in his Paris office, lined with books, press cuttings and photos taken with some of the world's most famous personalities.
Cardin's return to the menswear calendar on the last of five jam-packed days of catwalk shows in the French capital will see him sharing the spotlight with one of the industry's top trendsetters - Hedi Slimane for Christian Dior, where Cardin got his start 60 years ago.
The son of an Italian immigrant, he was once "lucky enough to be the youngest fashion designer in Paris," when he started at Dior in 1946, and now he's "obviously the oldest", said Cardin.
Six decades later he has created a vast empire, licensing sales of some 800 products bearing his name in 170 countries including everything from clothing, to a chain of Maxim's restaurants, perfumes, hotels, design and cultural institutes such as the Espace Cardin in Paris and the Chateau Lacoste in France's Luberon region, once the home of the Marquis de Sade.
A businessman and an honorary ambassador for UNESCO, Cardin remains passionate about fashion.
"Every day I design, it's my drug, I am very keen on fashion," he said.
In 1949 he left Dior to set up his own design house, and never looked back. He invented the bubble dress in 1954, and was the first designer to bring fashion to the street.
Early on, he realised the business potential of the fashion industry and opened up the market by turning to Japan, still rebuilding after World War II, after visiting the country in 1957.
He was the first designer to present a women's ready-to-wear collection at the Printemps department store in 1959, antagonising the sensibilities of the refined world of haute couture.
In 2008, a large retrospective will be devoted to Cardin's work in the Paris fashion museum, the Galliera, which will have access to some 10,000 items collected by the designer over the past 60 years.
"I have no regrets. If I had to start my career again with the same ambitions I had when I was 20, I would do it all again with enthusiasm," Cardin said.
"It's a career that's brought me a lot of satisfaction in the creative field and in the financial field."
Today his empire, which he owns alone, is said to have an annual turnover of some six billion euros (7.5 billion dollars). In 2005, Challenge magazine ranked him 59th among France's wealthiest people with a personal fortune of some 500 million euros.
But some reports have said parts of his empire, notably the restaurants and theatres, have slipped into the red.
Cardin has always refused to hold any sales, preferring to keep surplus stock in his personal museum, a warehouse with 3,500 square metres (37,000 square feet) of space for clothes and the same again for furniture.
For several years, he has been searching for a buyer for his empire but has not set a deadline, saying he is waiting for the "most interesting and prestigious offer".
"I will carry on working, to be passionate about it and to be happy in my work. Nothing bores me. I have found my harmony in my work," Cardin said.
From AFP, Nine MSN Au.
Wednesday Jun 28 13:50 AEST
Sixty years after launching himself into the world of fashion, French icon Pierre Cardin has nothing to prove, but next week he will return to centre stage during men's fashion week, staging his first presentation in 10 years.
"I still think I have something to say," Cardin told AFP in an interview ahead of the July 4 show in Paris, at which he will unveil new creations for spring-summer 2007 on wooden mannequins - just two days after turning 84.
The designer - known for his bold, geometric avant-garde designs - says he is determined to show that he was still around and just as creative as he always was.
"If I'm getting dated they will see it ... perhaps they are right, I've never made any claims," he said, relaxing in his Paris office, lined with books, press cuttings and photos taken with some of the world's most famous personalities.
Cardin's return to the menswear calendar on the last of five jam-packed days of catwalk shows in the French capital will see him sharing the spotlight with one of the industry's top trendsetters - Hedi Slimane for Christian Dior, where Cardin got his start 60 years ago.
The son of an Italian immigrant, he was once "lucky enough to be the youngest fashion designer in Paris," when he started at Dior in 1946, and now he's "obviously the oldest", said Cardin.
Six decades later he has created a vast empire, licensing sales of some 800 products bearing his name in 170 countries including everything from clothing, to a chain of Maxim's restaurants, perfumes, hotels, design and cultural institutes such as the Espace Cardin in Paris and the Chateau Lacoste in France's Luberon region, once the home of the Marquis de Sade.
A businessman and an honorary ambassador for UNESCO, Cardin remains passionate about fashion.
"Every day I design, it's my drug, I am very keen on fashion," he said.
In 1949 he left Dior to set up his own design house, and never looked back. He invented the bubble dress in 1954, and was the first designer to bring fashion to the street.
Early on, he realised the business potential of the fashion industry and opened up the market by turning to Japan, still rebuilding after World War II, after visiting the country in 1957.
He was the first designer to present a women's ready-to-wear collection at the Printemps department store in 1959, antagonising the sensibilities of the refined world of haute couture.
In 2008, a large retrospective will be devoted to Cardin's work in the Paris fashion museum, the Galliera, which will have access to some 10,000 items collected by the designer over the past 60 years.
"I have no regrets. If I had to start my career again with the same ambitions I had when I was 20, I would do it all again with enthusiasm," Cardin said.
"It's a career that's brought me a lot of satisfaction in the creative field and in the financial field."
Today his empire, which he owns alone, is said to have an annual turnover of some six billion euros (7.5 billion dollars). In 2005, Challenge magazine ranked him 59th among France's wealthiest people with a personal fortune of some 500 million euros.
But some reports have said parts of his empire, notably the restaurants and theatres, have slipped into the red.
Cardin has always refused to hold any sales, preferring to keep surplus stock in his personal museum, a warehouse with 3,500 square metres (37,000 square feet) of space for clothes and the same again for furniture.
For several years, he has been searching for a buyer for his empire but has not set a deadline, saying he is waiting for the "most interesting and prestigious offer".
"I will carry on working, to be passionate about it and to be happy in my work. Nothing bores me. I have found my harmony in my work," Cardin said.
From AFP, Nine MSN Au.
