Sunil Sethi, president of FDCI, recalls late French couturier Pierre Cardin’s venture into the Indian market and his sensibilities that are going to stay alive in the heart of every fashion enthusiast. By Team Viva

The clothes that I prefer are the garments that I invent for a lifestyle that does not yet exist, the world of tomorrow,” said late French couturier Pierre Cardin once. As the year ends with the sad news of his demise at 98, we look back at how Cardin brilliantly possessed an inventive artistic sensibility balanced with a perfect sense of business.

He has been the only veteran in fashion who felt more proud while stating how he earned more through a pair of stockings than a haute-couture gown or an ensemble with a six-figure price tag. The entrepreneurial designer, who passed away on Tuesday, understood the important role his exclusive haute couture shows played in stoking consumer desire and became an early pioneer of licensing. His name emblasoned hundreds of products, from apparel, accessories, pens, perfumes to other home goods. He said in an interview in 1970, “Fashion is always ridiculous, seen from before or after. But in the moment, it’s marvellous.”

Designer Jean-Paul Gaultier, who made his debut in Cardin’s maison, paid tribute to his mentor on Twitter, “Thank you Mister Cardin to have opened for me the doors of fashion and made my dream possible.”

The 1970s saw a huge Cardin expansion that brought his outlets to more than 100,000, with about as many workers producing under the Cardin label worldwide. He was in the vanguard in recognising the importance of the Asian market, both as a manufacturing hub and for its consumer potential. He was present in Japan starting in the early 1960s, and in 1979 became the first Western designer to stage a fashion show in China.

Well, as much as the visionary had a mark on the rest of the world, his influence on the Indian fashion industry too was deep. It was his belief in the Indian audience that he expanded his businesses here. He said, “With the opening of the Indian economy, I have believed that the potential for growth here is greater than almost anywhere else in the world.” Well, Cardin himself referred to India as the “Paris of Asia!”

The country welcomed the priest of fashion, launching his ready-to-wear garments and accessories outlet in New Delhi in 1994.

Sunil Sethi, President of the Fashion Design Council of India, recalls his stint with the couturier when he came to showcase in India. “Even when I was not an active part of the Indian fashion fraternity, I was invited to his show in New Delhi, which was in the backdrop of the Hauz Khas ruins, in 1994.” For the show, he fashioned garments out of various Indian weaves and fabrics.

He says, “French designers in the 70s and the 80s were known to be very unapproachable and only believed in dealing with the rich and famous customers. But Cardin appealed to the masses by making his products in the pret line and at an affordable price.”

Sethi believes that he had a lot to offer to the Indian fashion industry when he first got popularised here in the 70s. “Europe was abuzz with his creations in the 60s itself. However, in India he became popular only in the 70s and the 80s. People across the world had started to know his sensibilities already. Even though we didn’t know much about his fashion, we were able to recognise his aspirational design brand, especially through his other products like his writing instruments and perfumes. Even to this date, his pens are the most-owned products in India. I’d say he was one of the few designers who held such a sensibility even such a long time ago.”

Designer Archana Jaju extends my deepest condolences to the family and friends of the legendary designer. She says, “His avant-garde style is unparalleled and has inspired a revolution in the industry. I will always fondly remember him as one of my first role models. Along with an acute understanding of the craft, Pierre’s market wisdom was one to admire as well. When the world was obsessed with haute couture, he perceived the need of the hour and shifted to designing pret-a-porter. The industry has truly lost a stalwart.”