M. Pierre Cardin directed a fashion house that marked textile history forever. For 70 years, he led the house with a mission: to bring fashion to everyone who wants to wear a Pierre Cardin.
In 2023, the designer Pietro Constant Cardin, by his real name, would have been 100 years old. However, he passed away at the age of 98 on December 29, 2020. However, his great-nephew Rodrigo Basilicati Cardintook the reins of the business with the firm idea of maintaining the brand’s DNA and looking for the best young talent in the world to build it.
The now president of the housevisited Mexico to carry out the first contest “Pierre Cardin Young Designers Contest”focused on fashion students from the most important schools in the country.
In an exclusive interview for Entrepreneur.com Rodrigo Basilicati Cardin told us why Mexico and national talent is so important to the Parisian brand, as well as the legacy his grandfather left him and the business model he wants to promote.
An international company that remains within the family with the same values
The president of the firm confesses that both personally and professionally, his grandfather taught him not to be influenced or to copy other trends, to always look for originality, because even though there is a lot of communication and information at hand, creativity is still very broad.
In this regard, we asked him, why the ready-to-wear (ready to wear) is so important for a Haute Couture fashion house? “Because we invented it! It has been wrongly said that ready-to-wear Chanel did it, but she couldn’t do it. We started with the concept”, Basilicati began to recount.
“In the 1960s, my grandfather took 100 students from the Sorbonne in Paris for a catwalk with boys and girls (at that time men’s fashion was not very important) which was a scandal at the time. So much so that the Parisian Fashion Chamber asked him to leave because he was democratizing Haute Couture”, he continued.
“This is how Pierre Cardin thought, that the only way to do prêt-à-porter was to popularize fashion, a different decision so that people could wear Pierre Cardin.”
The ready-to-wear by Pierre Cardin
The idea was that people who couldn’t afford a custom designer garment would actually wear a designer one at a much lower cost. “We continue with prêt-à-porter and that it be just as beautiful as Haute Couture”explained the president of the maison.
“It is a mathematical fact. If I design a garment and make a single piece, the production cost is super broad: the design, choosing the fabrics, the clothing, has to be worth much more. However, if I do this for eight, it is a lower cost. Now, if it is done by the thousand, the cost is distributed and is affordable by anyone who wants to wear Pierre Cardin”.
That is exactly the reason why Rodrigo Basilicati Cardin wants to continue the tradition that is so important in the DNA of the maison. Pierre Cardin’s main interest in continuing with this business model is to spread the vision of the brand throughout the world.
Also, he shared that he learned to be himself thanks to the example of his grandfather. “Pierre Cardin did it and demonstrated with prêt-à-porter, people were scared, but it didn’t matter, he had a vision and he knew it was the right thing to do.” Rodrigo is doing the same on a personal level and also as a company, for example the contest.
“I don’t care about creating wealth, but being present throughout the world providing productive capacity as we are doing in Mexico with local companies.”
The importance of Mexico for Pierre Cardin
The company arrived in Mexico 50 years ago and it was a very special place for the designer of Italian origin, continuing with the tradition his great-nephew, Rodrigo, wanted to start with the Aztec country for the search for talents in addition to the importance for the signing of latin market.
“The market in Mexico has given us great satisfaction from a commercial point of view, because it is growing a lot in the American continent. Thus, a closer possibility of returning to Haute Couture may coincide with the expansion of productive and distributive capacity, not only in Mexico, but also in the north of the continent,” said Rodrigo.
The idea of holding the contest in Mexico is to meet young designers and see what the future of the industry would be. Basilicati explains that when a European wants to sell in Mexico it is not easy, because he does not know the people, but it is easier for a Mexican to sell in the region, as well as an American to sell in the United States, or a Russian to sell in Russia. Although of course, it is also true that designers can be inspired by other regions, but it is not the same.
the mexican talent
“The fact of coming here to learn about the work of Mexicans is because it is fair to maintain the soul of the country. Do not put a standard. Creativity is enough for me and that can be here”.
Regarding the search for the best talent, the president firmly believes that young people without vital for the fashion industry. “They are the future, the buyers, the ruling class and especially the society of tomorrow.”
In this way, traveling the world to learn about all kinds of cultures, trends and visions of young people will give the house an idea of what fashion will be like in the future. Therefore, it is a decision not only artistic but also for business. For example, the licensees, who take the brand to sell in different parts of the world, are merchants, they seek to generate profits.
However, Pierre Cardin is not only focused on the numbers, but on what it represents: a social change, a new language, language and perspective. Therefore, work with young people, with the society of the future, and apply this from a business perspective.
The future of house
With that vision for tomorrow, the house chooses talented young people to join the fashion house. Which is not something new for the company to do. Currently, the “oldest” young man who is among his ranks has been working at the firm for 38 years.
“Now we choose those who in 20 years will be 40 years old. For this reason, fashion does or does have to look to the future. And how do you do it? Through the eyes of young people”, comments the president.
“The idea is to find in each country (relevant countries, because we do not forget that Mexico, by culture, tradition and history, is so in the American continent), some young people who can bring their point of view to the maison, maintaining Pierre’s vision. Cardin”. In other words, contributing to broaden the very vision of the fashion house and, therefore, enter the market more easily.
Gero Rosas, recently graduated from the Centro school, was the Mexican winner, who will have the opportunity of an internship of two to six months in the studio of the fashion house in Paris. In addition, with the possibility of joining the firm’s creative team.
Mariel Otero Journalist passionate about fashion, the world of beauty and the source of lifestyle. Lover of stories worth telling, series, movies and sagas. Cheesy and closet geek.