House of Pierre Cardin Reschedules Fashion Show for January

A model wearing a black-and-white dress with an elaborate high-collar wrap in the Cardin couture fall 1973 show in Paris. Reginald Gray/WWD

The house of Pierre Cardin will stage a fashion show on Jan. 28 in tribute to the legendary couturier, who died a year ago at the age of 98.

The show is scheduled to be held at 7 p.m. CET at the National Air and Space Museum near Le Bourget airport north of Paris, the house said in a statement on Tuesday. The remote location appears to be gaining traction, with Hermès unveiling its spring 2022 collection at the airport’s private jet terminal in October.

Cardin was famous for staging shows in spectacular settings, including the Gobi Desert and his bubble-shaped Palais Bulles on the French Riviera. Coming on the tail end of Paris Couture Week, which is set to run from Jan. 24 to 27, the Cardin show will feature the designer’s last creations alongside a new collection produced by his design studio.

“This fashion show, designed and orchestrated by his nephew Rodrigo Basilicati-Cardin, now at the head of the group, perpetuates the style and codes that have made the success of the house,” the brand said.

Basilicati-Cardin, who is technically Cardin’s great-nephew, had initially announced plans to hold the show on Dec. 29, to mark the first anniversary of Cardin’s death.

“We hope to do things that he would not have recognized as something he had done, it is important to head in the direction of creation — while recognizing Pierre Cardin, the brand,” said Basilicati-Cardin, who was named chief executive officer of the label in October 2020.

“The brand will be recognizable as his, not completely different, as we often see at other houses,” he explained.

“It will be my interpretation,” added Basilicati-Cardin, who specified that he will be more involved in clothing designs than accessories. He is reviewing the house archives — which include some 30,000 pieces of clothing — for inspiration, without copying previous styles.

Basilicati-Cardin is one of several family heirs of the Space Age designer’s empire, which includes vast real-estate holdings and the restaurant Maxim’s, but has taken over as the public face of the brand.

Cardin was buried in a private ceremony at Montmartre cemetery at the start of the year, followed by a mass at the Madeleine church, with French First Lady Brigitte Macron in attendance.

Cardin on Cardin

French First Lady Brigitte Macron Leads Mourners at Pierre Cardin Funeral Mass