The Bite Magazine - Spring/Summer 2021 - Issue 29

bitedesignerprofile 1984 book waiting to be fulfilled. “Clothes that seemed to have landed on Earth from another galaxy, created by a designer in- trigued by science fiction and cosmic travel.” He became recognised for his groundbreaking and timeless fashion creations from these highlights, which drew from in- spirations, including the '60s space race. He also had pop stars and actors like The Beatles and Lauren Bacall wearing his de- signs. In 1957, Pierre expanded beyond his given label of suit designer and costumer maker, which he sought to get rid of, and presented his first complete fashion collection of over 120 styles in Paris. The show was an immediate success, and Pierre soon became a member of the Chambre Syndicale de la Couture (Couture Employers’ Federation) as one of the best designers in France. While he designed fanciful and bright colour clothing for both men and women, he knew some of his customers would not wear many of the avant-garde creations he was producing, so he designed a separate and more traditional line for a depart- ment store in Paris. When he was allowed to show his designs outside of France, and his semi-fitted ready-to-wear designs were increasingly popular in Europe, Pierre travelled to New York City in 1966 to establish his women’s fashions to American customers and de- signers. Upon arriving at the airport, he saw the bright colours of the cars in the parking lot and later told an interviewer, “It confirms my instinct that colour - lots of it - is the most essen- tial thing in today’s world.” After the success of his women’s collection in New York City, the designer opened a store dedicated to these fashions in the city. He also launched a children’s clothing line that was also popular. For these and other designs, he was awarded the Golden Spinning Wheel Award by the Krefeld town, Germa- ny, in 1966. Pierre then expanded into Japan, where his easy fit and bright coloured fashions became popular with Japanese women, and in return, he liked the more traditional lines of Japanese clothing. Pierre Cardin received many accolades for his designs, in- cluding the Basilica Palladiana Award for the most successful Venetian in 1973, the EUR Award (the equivalent of an Italian Academy Award) for his varied and successful enterprises in the entertainment world in 1974 and the Golden Thimble of French Haute-Couture Award, made by Cartier, for designing the most creative collection of the season, in 1977. He won the same award in 1979 and again in 1982. In 1980, the fashion pioneer celebrated 30 years in the indus- try at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and opened a new office building in the city to handle his grow- ing American enterprises. Five years later, he was awarded the Fashion Oscar at the Paris Opera and named National Order of Merit by the President of France. In 1988, he received the Order of Merit by the Italian Republic. Three years later, Pierre was awarded the Legion of Honour in France and received the Gold and Silver Star of the Japa- nese Sacred Treasure, the nation’s highest honour. In 1992, the designer accepted a French Academy of Fine Arts seat as the nation's highest-ranking fashion designer. To add to his grow- ing list of credentials, he was also made UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador in 1991 and FAO Goodwill Ambassador in 2009. To commemorate the XXVI Olympic Games held in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, Pierre presented a fashion show of his highly successful Sportif designs for men and women that then pro- duced a line of Sportif fragrance for men. In the same year, the designer put on an exhibition by painter Daniel You called Les Dieux L’olympe (The Gods of Olympus) and was awarded