UPDATE - French fashion giant Pierre Cardin dies at 98

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By Shweta Desai

PARIS (AA) - Iconic fashion designer Pierre Cardin, known for his avant-garde style and geometric, space-age designs, passed away at a hospital in Neuilly, west of Paris, on Tuesday. He was 98.

"Day of great sadness for all our family, Pierre Cardin is no longer," a statement from the family said, according to local channel BFMTV.

"We are all proud of his tenacious ambition and the daring he has shown throughout his life. A modern man of many talents and inexhaustible energy, he joined the flow of the world very early on the globalization of goods and trade," the family statement added.

The French Academy of Fine Arts also announced his death on Twitter. Cardin was elected as a distinguished member of the academy in 1992.

The Italian born, naturalized French courtier established his label house in 1950, starting with a clothing line for women and men. He infused haute couture in ready-to-wear fashion by selling his collection in department stores.

A visionary stylist, he was credited with anticipating trends in unisex fashion in the 60s and being "ahead of his age". His many iconic collections include the bubble dress, collarless jackets for men, also worn by The Beatles and the space age designs inspired by the space race and Apollo 11 landing.

A marketing genius, Cardin used licensing to expand his hugely popular brand on commercial and mass-consumed products into perfumes, cosmetics, watches, pens, automobiles, industrial design, and sculptures, building a giant empire of the luxury fashion business.

Cardin was designated UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador in 1991. He helmed several humanitarian projects including campaigns for the victims of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster victims.

Last June, the New York's Brooklyn Museum held its first retrospective "Future Fashion," paying tribute to Cardin's legacy in fashion and popular culture.

His last fashion show unveiling the spring-summer collection was in December 2018 in Beijing.

In September this year, he celebrated the 70th anniversary of the house of Pierre Cardin in Paris.

News of his demise came as a huge loss as tributes poured in from the fashion world.

Cyril Barthalois, the secretary-general of the French Academy of Fine Arts, wrote on Twitter: "Huge sadness. Equally great joy to have known him, these last 4 years, in this academy where his voice, listened to and respected by his colleagues, carried again and always."

French designer Jean-Paul Gaultier, who was among Cardin's proteges, paid tribute on Twitter: "Thank you Mister Cardin to have opened for me the doors of fashion and made my dream possible."

Maria Grazia Chuiri, the creative director at Christian Dior, which Cardin helmed in 1947-1950, wrote on Instagram: "I am very saddened by the passing of the creative genius, Monsieur Pierre Cardin. I had the honor of meeting him after my first show for Dior; he welcomed me in the House of which he will forever be a part of."

Indian fashion designer Manish Malhotra also took to Instagram: "It's the end of an era. Pierre Cardin's finesse and appeal has revolutionised fashion and style ever since seven decades, and will continue to do so in many years to come."