House of Cardin, a film on fashion designer Pierre Cardin, looks at his love for China, sexuality and close ties with Christian Dior
- The new documentary explores the life of Pierre Cardin, one of the first fashion designers to recognise the importance of the Asian market
- Cardin, at the age of 97, was on hand at the Venice Film Festival to promote the film last month
Pierre Cardin was one of the first international fashion designers to go boldly into the markets of China, Japan and Russia. While other French designers still saw France as the centre of the sartorial universe, Cardin recognised the importance of more far-flung places, travelling to China every year.
He wasn’t just a visionary either – Cardin was an astute businessman, too, and one of the first designers to apply his brand to a variety of products outside the fashion world.
Given that not much is known about the man personally, House of Cardin – a new documentary that screened at the Venice Film Festival in September – is a fascinating watch.
The film includes never-before-seen archival footage, as well as interviews with the likes of fellow designers Jean-Paul Gaultier and Philippe Starck, whose talent Cardin recognised early on.
Even at the age of 97, Cardin is in possession of his trademark tenacity, turning up to promote the film at the festival in Italy. He had braved a 27-hour train trip beset by “fires on the road” and a torrential thunderstorm at the time of the documentary’s world premiere to be there and, though he may physically be a little frail, his mind remains as sharp as a tack.
“I still work every day. It’s my reason for being; it’s my pleasure,” he says. “I believe in myself. Everything starts as a thought and, by working on it, it becomes a reality.”
