OPINION | Why has Pierre Cardin been so famous? Many had no idea and now worship him! | CNN

Designer Pierre Cardin died in December at the age of 98.

Editor's Note:

Mari Rodríguez Ichaso has been a contributor to Vanidades magazine for several decades.

He is a specialist in fashion, travel, gastronomy, art, architecture and entertainment.

Film producer and style columnist for CNN en Español.

The opinions expressed in this column are solely his own.

Read more opinion pieces at cnne.com/opinion.

(CNN Spanish) -

The death of French-Italian designer Pierre Cardin, a few months ago at the age of 98, has been front-page news around the world.

Articles, videos and heartfelt tributes have commented with genuine admiration on his brilliant career - and his work as a great "visionary" in the world of design.

And THAT is the reason for the enormous fame of Pierre Cardin: his brilliant creative ability - hand in hand with his revolutionary business sense!

Cardin never wanted to settle for being just another famous designer - NO! - From the beginning he wanted to break the mold, invent genius, create the most ultra-modern marketing - and be the most innovative and daring designer in the universe.

And he achieve it.

Pierre Cardin in 1974

Last year he opened a retrospective of his work called Pierre Cardin: Future Fashion at the Brooklyn Museum and it was like a “tsunami” that caused a true wave of absolute admiration for the designer, who - then 97 years old - was for many young people design lovers almost a stranger, an old ghost from the past, and suddenly he revealed himself as an extraordinary guru whom we should admire and adore!

And the young people learned something new ...

The eye-opening exhibition taught younger generations that Pierre Cardin radically changed fashion in the 1960s, and that show was a well-deserved tribute to his heritage.

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It was a "tour de force" of his long career, with designs and objects from all his creative stages, such as his computer-style coats, the futuristic "bubble" dresses with plastic visors, the striking pagoda jackets and hundreds of models with cuts and ultra-modern angles, which looked like they were created in 2019 and were designs from the 60s!

But when we recall that Cardin turned fashion into a massive, non-elitist, super-commercial industry - it must be said that his most important contribution was when in the mid-1960s he had another great marketing idea: using his name - or initials - on the logos of their designs.

A highly criticized idea -which had never been seen-, but Cardin loved being original above all else -and when thousands of pieces of clothing were paraded -with his name! - he gave life to the great revolution of logos and initials in the world of fashion, which exists to this day.

The creation of a universal superbusiness!

Cardin also created licensing so that his name could be used on all kinds of products - from men's and women's clothing to glasses, china, cars and furniture.

And numerous factories around the world manufactured his creations.

Soon, other brands began to follow suit, and hundreds of logos were born that eager consumers around the world began to use on T-shirts, bags, perfumes and other items - and that made us feel important, cool and very fashionable.

And licenses of all kinds multiplied in the world!

All this without forgetting his sense that fashion is universal, and for this Cardin organized dramatic fashion shows in places where no designer had gone before, such as Moscow's Red Square and the Great Wall of China!

Who was Pierre Cardin?

Far ahead of his time, since he was a child, Cardin had been fascinated by the mystery of space and other planets - and his clothes showed that love with creations that shocked many.

His great apprenticeship in the world of haute couture, working for several years as an assistant to the highly respected Christian Dior, gave him the advantage of knowing the quality and perfect cuts of clothing.

And that knowledge base set him apart from others.

Cardin knew how to cut and sew, and hers went way beyond fabulous design!

And immediately, this young man born in Venice in 1922 - raised in Saint Etienne and who made his career in Paris, where his family had emigrated - put his stamp on the way we dress from 1950, when he became independent as a creator, creating his own brand and launch futuristic designs for men and women in very new fabrics and styles.

A career that continued to attract attention when men began wearing their exotic Nehru jackets, which mimicked men's suits in India - and became such a popular trend that it was soon being worn by women as well, creating a new unisex fad.

And the difficult world of fashion - fascinated with Cardin - declared that a legend had been born!

Those were years when the competition between designers was fierce and everyone wanted to be the most famous and best.

And Cardin created models and accessories that seemed ideal for a trip to space (the collection was called Cosmocorps) - just like crazy clothes for the sexy heroines of the James Bond films.

I was lucky enough to meet him and chat at length with him on various occasions over the years and — having lunch in Paris at his famous Maxim's restaurant — the very chatty Cardin told me of the many dreams and plans he still had.

I realized that having a birthday didn't stop him - and in his 90s he was still inventing with enthusiasm.

And I remember it was a lot of fun to laugh when I told him that I still used bags of his creation - 30 years ago - that I still loved and that they were like my good friends.

To which Cardin said “Friends?

No ... they are part of you, your family, your memory and your future.

And that's my intention when I create them! "

Bravo, Pierre Cardin.

And thanks.

Pierre Cardin