French fashion designer Pierre Cardin, whose futuristic space-inspired looks upended catwalk styles in the 1960s and 70s, has died at the age of 98, France’s Fine Arts Academy said. Cardin, who cut his teeth working at top couture houses such as Christian Dior, went on to launch his own brand and pioneered the use of licensing in fashion, plastering his label’s name on products of all kinds. As well as shaking up fashion with bubble-dresses and geometrical designs, Cardin was also one of the first to bring high fashion to the masses by selling collections in department stores from the late 1950s. FILE – French fashion designer Pierre Cardin poses in front of his 1954-1956-1957 fashion creations in his museum called “Past-Present-Future” in Paris, Nov. 12, 2014.His savvy business sense brought him a mix of admiration but also scorn from fashion purists at the time. While he no longer presented runway collections, Cardin remained active in the industry, attending parties and events and taking young designers under his wing. He has previously been a mentor to prominent designers such as Jean Paul Gaultier.  
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