Fashion futurist: The style aesthetics of Pierre Cardin

[A] master of the avant-garde, Pierre Cardin is the man who brought futurism to fashion. With the vision of an architect, the legendary French designer created the bubble and balloon dress back in the 1950s – continuing to embrace bold structural shapes in every aspect of his designs to this day. His monochrome mini-dresses and space age PVC pieces are synonymous with the optimism of the 1960s, still appearing ahead of their time over half a century later.

Beyond fashion, Cardin conceived a ‘lifestyle’ brand before it became de rigeur, creating accessories, interiors, fragrance, restaurants and even an arts festival. “I have a name, I have to take advantage of it”, the designer famously said. It’s this spirit of innovation that is celebrated in a new book by haute publisher, Assouline – shining a light on the personality behind 70 years of iconic designs.

Preview some of the inspiring visuals below and find out more about the book on the Assouline website.  A special Pierre Cardin pop-up store will be running at Maison Assouline in London until 28th October.