The Cardin fashion house will celebrate its fiftieth anniversary in 2010, an occasion that calls for a retrospective of the work of its founder, designer Pierre Cardin. Born in 1922 in Sant Andrea de Barbarana, Venice province, Pierre Cardin immigrated to Paris in 1924 with his parents, who were thrown into poverty by World War I. After working briefly with Elsa Schiaparelli,

Cardin joined Dior in 1946 and opened his own couture house in 1950. He was a pioneer from the start, creating a design-based, architectural fashion with a futurist sensibility. Cardin also had a pioneer s understanding of fashion s relationship to new audiences, presenting his collections to large crowds. He was the first to demonstrate that fashion can be both a creative process and a business and that one man can excel as both a businessman and an artist. This volume is a tribute to this extraordinarily innovative and iconoclastic designer, takes a primarily visual perspective, highlighting Pierre Cardin s contribution to the world of couture, fashion, and perfume, reflecting the designer s spirit and energy, as well as the brand s international presence.

Jean-Pascal Hesse, who holds a degree in history, has been director of communications at the Cardin fashion house for close to 15 years.