Cardin, Pierre (pyĕr kärdăN`), 1922–, French fashion designer. He spent most of his early years working in Paris for such firms as Schiaparelli Schiaparelli, Elsa (skyäpärĕl`lē), 1890–1973, French fashion designer, b. Rome.
..... Click the link for more information. and Dior Dior, Christian (krēstyäN` dē-ôr`), 1905–57, French fashion designer.
..... Click the link for more information. . He designed the costumes for Jean Cocteau Cocteau, Jean (zhäN kôktō`), 1889–1963, French writer, visual artist, and filmmaker.
..... Click the link for more information. 's film Beauty and the Beast (1946). At first known as a designer of expensive clothing, he produced his first ready-to-wear line in the early 1960s. He is well known for his early astronaut suits, metal body jewelry, and futuristic look. His clothing is dramatic, bold, and often irregular in cut. His label appears on products as diverse as wines, bicycles, and toiletries. In 1979 he organized a trade agreement with the People's Republic of China to produce Pierre Cardin clothes. In 1991 he was made an honorary ambassador of UNESCO.

Cardin, Pierre

(born July 7, 1922, Venice, Italy) French fashion designer. At age 17 he went to Vichy to become a tailor at a men's shop. After World War II he joined the Parisian fashion house of Paquin and designed the costumes for Jean Cocteau's film Beauty and the Beast (1945). In 1959 he created the first ready-to-wear collection for women ever presented by a top designer and in 1960 introduced the first designer ready-to-wear collection for men. He showed himself a master of the bias cut, soft semifitted lines, and lavish colour. In the late 1960s his stark, short tunics, and his use of vinyl, helmets, and goggles launched the Space Age look. His men's clothing influenced other designers, including Bill Blass.