2020 has been a year of loss on many levels for everyone. On Tuesday iconic fashion designer to the famous (and not so famous) Pierre Cardin passed away at the age of 98, leaving a gaping hole in the fashion world.

Known for his futuristic fashion designs and marketing genius, the French designer got his start in fashion as a apprentice tailor at 14 years old, and in 1946 created the costumes for the film Beauty & the Beast and helped create the “New Look” for Christen Dior’s fashion house.

In 1950 he created the House of Cardin which focused on costumes for theater and film productions. In 1953 the French designer debuted his women’s collection which adorned the likes of Brigitte Bardot, Liz Taylor, first lady (former) Jackie Kennedy and Rita Hayworth. Cardin started to design men’s clothes and showcased them at a boutique called Adam. In 2009 he told the France Press Agency “Before me, no designer made clothes for men, only tailors did”. He created the Nehru collarless suits worn by the Beatles (which became their trademark look). His other male clients included Mick Jagger, Rex Harrison and Gregory Peck.

The groundbreaking designer was the first to offer haute couture, ready to wear (off the rack) in 1959. During the 1960’s he designed clothes modelled after spacesuits. In 1969 he said “The dresses I prefer are those I invent for a life that does not yet exist”.

He licensed his name from everything from cookware to cars. A visionary always looking far ahead into the future said, “I design for tomorrow. I never look backward.”