Pierre Hardy is, beyond any doubt, one of the greatest contemporary French designers. A proving evidence for it are the prizes and awards that he received (including the Legion of Honour awarded in 2015) and his brilliant career. Before launching his own brand in 1999 and also during the following years, Pierre Hardy worked as artistic director of footwear lines in the most important French fashion houses: Christian Dior, Hermes and Balenciaga.
These prestigious collaborations as well as degrees in plastic arts and scenography, and experience of an illustrator for Vogue and Vanity Fair at the beginning of his career, have forged a very rich and individual designer’s style. His passion for art and dance are at the core of his interest for shoes, the accessory which, accordingly to Hardy, "constrains and transforms the human body". The styles drawn by master’s hand in highly artistic sketches look like miniature architectural works.
Hardy’s unique way of using lines and blocks of color is something that has set his creations apart since the very beginning. Minimalism and simplicity, sculptural forms, importance of colors and combinations of black and white are the main codes of the brand.
The designer produces under his name male and female shoes, but also bags and jewelry which also are an expression of his rich artistic heritage and his interest in experimentation. This interest is also reflected in regular Pierre Hardy’s collaborations with a multitude of brands for which he creates capsule collections: Peugeot, Nars, Frédéric Malle, GAP.
Hardy’s creations echo the fashion trends, but their style is not dictated by these trends. His work is art in its purest form.
Pierre Hardy is the favourite designer of those who are convinced that it is the artist who should lead the fashion world behind him, and not the reverse. The list of celebrities from the world of art wearing Hardy shoes is long: Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Kardashian, Charlize Theron, Sienna Miller, Gwyneth Paltrow, Miroslava Duma, Taylor Swift, Will Smith, Chris Brown etc.
In addition to its own stores in New York and Paris, the Pierre Hardy brand is represented in the finest world image and concept-stores: Le Bon Marché and Le Printemps in Paris, Lane Crawford in Hong Kong, Matches in London etc.