Pierre Hardy (born 1 February 1956) is a French fashion designer who specializes in luxury footwear. Hardy is known for designing high-end women's shoes and men's sneakers.

Early life and education

Hardy was born in Paris.Kate Finnigan (25 November 2017)
'Fashion's favourite brainiac': Pierre Hardy on creating cult shoes for Hermès
'' The Daily Telegraph''. His mother was a ballet instructor and his father taught athletics.Lindsay Talbot (12 October 2018)
The Bold Sensibility of Pierre Hardy
'' T: The New York Times Style Magazine''. He pursued a teaching degree in plastic arts and taught at art schools, includings at his alma mater

École Duperré The Duperré School of Applied Arts is a public college of art and design. The school is located in the Rue Dupetit-Thouars, in the 3rd arrondissement of Paris, near the Carreau du Temple, in the heart of Le Marais. Duperré School trains stude ...

in Paris.Alexandra Marshall (9 February 2017)
Pierre Hardy’s Black-and-White Parisian Pad
'' Wall Street Journal''. After graduation, he joined a modern dance troupe and drew illustrations for European fashion magazines such as ''

Vanity Fair Italia ''Vanity Fair'' is a monthly magazine of popular culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast in the United States. The first version of ''Vanity Fair'' was published from 1913 to 1936. The imprint was revived in 1983 and c ...

'' and ''Vogue Hommes''.

Career in design

In 1987, Hardy took a position styling shoes at

Christian Dior Christian Ernest Dior (; 21 January 1905 – 24 October 1957) was a French fashion designer, best known as the founder of one of the world's top fashion houses, Christian Dior SE, which is now owned by parent company LVMH. His fashion houses a ...

. From 1990 until 1999, Hardy worked under Claude Brouet at Hermès, where he was responsible for men's and women's shoes. At Hermès, he created classics that include the Oran sandal in 1997. For the spring/summer 1998 collection, he developed the Quick trainer, making Hermès the first luxury brand to design a trainer made entirely of leather. In 2001, Hermès added jewelry to his responsibilities. In 1999, Hardy launched his eponymous brand, Pierre Hardy. Within a year, he sold 5,000 pairs to stores like Neiman Marcus and Barneys New York. Today the brand sells luxury shoe and fashion accessories for men and women. In 2016, he sold a minority stake of his company to Hermès. From 2001, Hardy also oversaw women's shoes for

Balenciaga Balenciaga SA ( ) is a luxury fashion house founded in 1919 by the Spanish designer Cristóbal Balenciaga in San Sebastian, Spain. Balenciaga produces ready-to-wear, footwear, handbags, and accessories and licenses its name and branding to C ...

, under the leadership of

Nicolas Ghesquière Nicolas Ghesquière (; born 9 May 1971) is a French-Belgian fashion designer who has been the women's creative director of the house of Louis Vuitton (owned by LVMH) since 2013. Early life Ghesquière was born in Comines, Nord, the younger of ...

. He left Balenciaga when Ghesquière did, in 2012. He also collaborated with the Gap Inc. in 2011, and with the makeup brand

NARS Cosmetics NARS Cosmetics is a French cosmetics and skin care company founded by make-up artist and photographer François Nars in 1994. The cosmetics line began with twelve lipsticks sold at Barneys New York. Since then, NARS has created various multi-us ...

in 2013.

Recognition

In 2016, Hardy was awarded with the Chevalier of the Legion of Honour.

Personal life

Hardy was in a seven-year relationship with

. Cathy Horyn (28 August 2005)
How Nicolas Got His Groove Back
'' T: The New York Times Style Magazine''. He is married to Christopher Turnier.

Stores

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hardy, Pierre 1956 births Living people Businesspeople from Paris French brands French fashion designers LGBT fashion designers Luxury brands Shoe designers Shoemakers