Famed French designer Pierre Cardin dies at 98

PARIS (AP) — France’s Academy of Fine Arts says Pierre Cardin, the French designer whose Space Age style was among the iconic looks of 20th-century fashion, has died at 98.

A licensing maverick, Cardin’s name embossed myriad products from wristwatches to bedsheets, making his label among the world’s most famous. In the brand’s heyday in the 1970s and ’80s, his products were sold at some 100,000 outlets worldwide, though that number dwindled dramatically in later decades.

FILE – In this Sept. 19, 1969 file photo, French fashion designer Pierre Cardin’s face is framed by 10 hands of models like a sculptur of goddess Siva ornamented with a collection of rings designed by Cardin from his latest jewelery collection, in Paris, France.France’s Academy of Fine Arts says Pierre Cardin, the French designer whose Space Age style was among the iconic looks of 20th-century fashion, has died at 98.(AP Photo, File)
FILE – In this May 19, 1979 file photo, French fashion designer Pierre Cardin and escort arrive at the Cannes Festival Palace to see Coppola’s “Apocalyplse Now,” in Cannes, southern France. France’s Academy of Fine Arts says Pierre Cardin, the French designer whose Space Age style was among the iconic looks of 20th-century fashion, has died at 98. (AP Photo/Jean-Jacques Levy, File)
FILE – In this March 19, 1979 file photo, Pierre Cardin, famed French designer, holds a press conference on his return to the Peoples Republic of China. France’s Academy of Fine Arts says famed fashion designer Pierre Cardin has died at 98. (AP Photo/Marty Lederhandler, File)
FILE – In this Oct.30 1975 file photo, French designer Pierre Cardin poses in the dressing room at Hotel Pierre in New York. France’s Academy of Fine Arts says famed fashion designer Pierre Cardin has died at 98 (AP Photo/Ray Stubblebine, File)
White ensemble by Cardin. This is one of the ensembles, created by the famous Pierre Cardin, for the autumn and winter collections shown in Paris, France, in August 1966. It is a white woollen suit, consisting of a straight suit and a tight jacket fastened with four large white buttons. It is worn with a white felt hood and a thick white fox collar. (AP Photo)
Two dresses from Pierre Cardin. Presented in Pierre Cardin’s 1966 Spring collection shown in Paris on Feb. 28, 1966. Left is a white wool dress with a navy blue diamond shaped inlay in the back, a smaller light blue diamond is inlaid in the centre of the big diamond, the hat, stockings and shoes are white. At right, Japanese model Hiroko with a white wool dress inlaid with a big red diamond and a small black one, hat, stockings and shoes are also in white. (AP Photo)
FILE – In this Oct.6, 2008 file photo, French fashion designer Pierre Cardin stands with models wearing his creations at his villa in Theoule sur Mer, southern France. France’s Academy of Fine Arts says Pierre Cardin, the French designer whose Space Age style was among the iconic looks of 20th-century fashion, has died at 98. (AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau, File)
FILE – In this Sept.29, 2010 file photo, French fashion designer Pierre Cardin acknowledges applause after his ready to wear spring/summer 2011 collection presented in Paris. France’s Academy of Fine Arts says Pierre Cardin, the French designer whose Space Age style was among the iconic looks of 20th-century fashion, has died at 98.(AP Photo/Jacques Brinon, File)
FILE – In this May 3, 2005 file photo, French fashion designer Pierre Cardin presents his exhibition “Design and Fashion 1950- 2005” at the academy for arts in Vienna, Austria. France’s Academy of Fine Arts says famed fashion designer Pierre Cardin has died at 98(AP Photo/Ronald Zak, File)
Photographer Sebastiao Salgado, left, poses with French fashion designer and academician of Fine Arts (Academie des Beaux-Arts) Pierre Cardin, as he was elected in the French Academy of Fine Arts (Academie des Beaux-Arts) during a ceremony in Paris, France, Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2017. The Academy of Fine Arts concerning Paintings, Sculpture Music, Architecture and Photography is part of the French Academy, concerning the French language, the Academy of Humanities, the French Academy of Sciences and the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)
French fashion designer Pierre Cardin acknowledges applause after a show to mark 70 years of his creations, in Paris, Wednesday, Nov.30, 2016. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

A savvy businessman, Cardin used his fabulous wealth to snap up top-notch properties in Paris, including the Belle Epoque restaurant Maxim’s. He was inducted into the Fine Arts Academy in 1992.

The academy announced his death in a tweet Tuesday.