French fashion designer Pierre Cardin dies aged 98

Legendary designer and fashion icon Pierre Cardin passed away on Tuesday at the age of 98, his family has confirmed to AFP. He died in a hospital in Neuilly, outside Paris.

The designer was born in Italy in 1924 as Pietro Constante Cardin. His family soon relocated to France to escape Mussolini’s fascist regime.

Cardin rose to prominence in the 1960s with his futuristic and avant-garde designs, and has since become one of the household names in high fashion.

Models wearing helmet-style hats and sleeveless belted dresses by Pierre Cardin, 1967. © Reg Lancaster / Express / Getty Images

Apart from creating clothes for women, Cardin spurred what Vogue magazine called a “revolution” in menswear, one of the highpoints of which was making suits worn by the Beatles.

The Beatles wearing Pierre Cardin collarless jackets, 1963. © Harry Hammond / V&A Images / Getty Images

Cardin was often inspired by space exploration, making his clothes resemble spacesuits and uniforms from sci-fi shows, like 'Star Trek', and he was the first fashion designer to visit NASA.

Space-age outfits in silver vinyl by Pierre Cardin, on display at Fashion Week in Paris, 1968. © Keystone / Hulton Archive / Getty Images

By the 1980s, Cardin had built his own global fashion empire, with around 150 products bearing his name, and he had brought his shows from Paris to places like Moscow, Beijing, and Tokyo.

Pierre Cardin’s Haute Couture Fall Winter 1981-82 fashion collection. © Bertrand Rindoff Petroff / Getty Images

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