Storied brands are continuously positioning themselves as educational beacons to younger generations. Such partnerships can go both ways, however; as heritage can help in the provision of long-existing skills to up-and-coming designers that can, in turn, also present to brands new perspectives in a bid to retain relevance. It was this that was at the heart of Pierre Cardin’s launch of the Young Designers Award, the first of which took place in 2022 to honour the 100th anniversary of the fashion house.

This year, the initiative made its most recent stop in Taipei, Taiwan, where, during a ceremony held as part of Taipei Fashion Week, it was revealed that Cody Chen of Shu-Te University was the Grand Prix winner of the award’s eighth edition. Those taking part were asked to reimagine Cardin’s “space age” identity and reinterpret these design codes via their own style. This list was then narrowed down to a handful of finalists who were selected to participate in a one-day design workshop led by senior designers of Pierre Cardin’s Paris studio.

Through each of these steps, Chen aligned with the qualities Pierre Cardin president, Rodrigo Basilicati-Cardin, looks for in the award winners, having stood out from the 36 candidates of several major Taiwanese universities. Speaking to FashionUnited prior to the ceremony, co-organised by the country’s Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Basilicati-Cardin said: “[We look for] personality. I also prefer when they are, in their nature, a little like [the brand]; colour-wise and geometrically, but not only. We have to recognise a [signature] model from afar.”

Basilicati-Cardin with Young Designer Award Taipei winner Cody Chen. Credits: Pierre Cardin / Taiwan Textile Federation.

Cody Chen wins Young Designers Award Taipei 2024

Chen joins the likes of Sung Eun Park, from South Korea, and Jerónimo David Rosas González, from Mexico, among those now recognised through the award, with the two aforementioned designers having also come to Pierre Cardin’s Parisian base as part of the initiative’s awarded three-month apprenticeship. Many, as noted by Basilicati-Cardin, even go on to become permanent fixtures of the Pierre Cardin team, underlining the French-Italian brand’s reliance and emphasis on these emerging names, with Taiwan in particular coming forward with personality-filled individuals that Basilicati-Cardin said reflected the free minds of creatives in the country.

Chen’s win came just days after the seventh award winner, Wang Yujin, was revealed in Beijing, China, where another ceremony marked not only a return to the country for Pierre Cardin, but the beginning of the brand’s Asia leg of its “world tour” – Taiwan being its second stop. Through this tour, Basilicati-Cardin, who also serves as the artistic director of the brand, is bringing a curation of Pierre Cardin’s latest collections to the doorsteps of consumers around the world through fashion shows that double as these award ceremonies. It also presents the brand an opportunity to demonstrate its targeted concept of “design is for everyone, regardless of rich and poor”, as described in a press release.

While much of the exhibited collection itself was already shown during the most recent edition of Paris Fashion Week, the brand is continuing to double down on this “new look”, which comes under the direction of Basilicati-Cardin, who took over the helm of the company in 2020 after its namesake designer passed away. Since then, Basilicati-Cardin set about on a brand refresh, initially stepping away from the fashion week spotlight to redetermine how Pierre Cardin was to move forward. It wasn’t until early 2023 that the brand returned to the runway in Paris, this time with a “space-age” feel to designs, departing from its former shell of traditional couture yet retaining the futurism once seen in the brand’s early days.

Pierre Cardin president, Rodrigo Basilicati-Cardin. Credits: Pierre Cardin / Taiwan Textile Federation.

In a bid to drive home this brand refresh, the Pierre Cardin world tour is to continue on somewhat of a yearly basis for the brand’s important licensee markets, with Taiwan in particular being an imperative stop on this trip. Here, and akin to other operational markets, the brand relies heavily on a licensee model, a business structure the late Pierre Cardin had been known to champion throughout his lifetime, and one Basilicati-Cardin continues to stand by.

Pierre Cardin’s world tour to bring refreshed identity international

In Taiwan, for example, Pierre Cardin currently has licensed out eight product categories, including ready-to-wear menswear, which is sold in around 45 locations, typically department stores, and bedding and homeware, which can be found via independent retail partners. In the eyes of Basilicati-Cardin, such a setup is important to the foundations of the wider company. He noted: “When I took on this position four years ago, I started to change [the company] a little, but not much, because the licensee system, for me, is fantastic. It permits me to focus on the fashion house in Paris, where we have one boutique as an engine of creativity, but still have a constant link with local design teams.”

Benefits also come for Taiwan itself, as noted by deputy minister of culture, Sue Wang, who said in a speech at the ceremony: “Thank you for presenting such a beautiful show that exhibits a future and a sense of responsibility. It’s a very special experience. I am very happy to see Pierre Cardin continue to operate in Taiwan and set up this youth award to encourage more Taiwanese youth to invest in [this industry]. We also hope that through this collaboration and this exchange, we can help our young designers go to international stages.”

The next edition of Pierre Cardin’s Young Designer Award will be taking place for the first time in Europe, with a Paris edition due to announce its winning participant in December. Applications for this are currently open to all designers above the age of 18 who are currently finishing their bachelor or masters degree in fashion design. Out of 60 candidates selected to participate in a workshop, 10 will be chosen to join the company in Rome, Italy, for a finale event, where three final winners will be revealed.

Representatives of the Taiwan Textile Federation and Pierre Cardin with finalists of the Young Designer Award Taipei 2024. Credits: Pierre Cardin / Taiwan Textile Federation.