French fashion designer Pierre Cardin’s will, presented by his nephew Rodrigo Basilicati-Cardin, has now been declared invalid by the court. For Basilicati-Cardin, who sees himself as the heir to his uncle’s entire fortune and also the took over the successor to the fashion housethis is a major setback as other legal disputes depend on the verdict.
The submitted will was declared invalid by the Paris Court of Appeal on January 25, as the French news agency AFP announced last week after seeing the verdict. Accordingly, the will was not drawn up by Pierre Cardin, who died in December 2020 at the age of 98.
The French pioneer of ready-to-wear fashion, known for his deconstructed silhouettes and geometric effects, remained childless. His estate includes a total of 22 heirs, including his (great) nephew and nieces.
Basilicati-Cardin took on the position of general director of the fashion house in 2018 and also the role of CEO in November 2020. He referred to a handwritten will from his uncle found in the deceased’s house in July 2022 and dated November 10, 2016.
According to the court, in the eleven-line document, the initials “PC” appear on the tenth line and therefore cannot be considered “added subsequent to what was written” – thereby making the will invalid.
“It cannot therefore be concluded that there is a signature on the document in question (…), which precludes the transfer of ownership,” the judgment states.
Cardin left behind an extensive fortune: a holding company and subsidiaries, numerous licenses, brands and real estate, especially in Paris and the French department of Vaucluse.
The group’s assets are estimated at between 750 and 800 million euros, depending on the takeover offer, Jean-Louis Rivière, the lawyer for the designer’s great-nieces, told AFP. The nieces, who were supported by most of the Cardin family, are lobbying for the sale of the Cardin group and complaining about an “attempt to plunder the inheritance”.
This translated article previously appeared on FashionUnited.fr. Translation and editing: Pia Schulz