The name of Pierre Cardin is perhaps the most instantly recognisable of the elite French couturiers but with 840 licenses around the world sporting his name on everything from bidets to caviar, his fashion is now but one of many divisions in his vast global empire. Cardin has taken many risks throughout his colourful career from scandalising Paris with the introduction of Pret-a-porter , to transforming France's bastion of elegance, Maxim's into a trademark bringing in a name, the essence of Paris to hotels, foodstuffs, perfumes even a yacht. 

Few of his ventures have failed and of these he is philosophical as he is of his garage of purist critics, but with a business empire that takes over $2 billion dollars annually in sales, agreements with Moscow to establish Soviet chic through 32 factories producing his clothes, groundbreaking forays into China, criticism nary ruffles the suave French facade.

VIVE la Vie speaks with Pierre Cardin in the Paris headquarters of design's most successful businessman.

VIVE: Monsieur Cardin, you have had such a remarkable and successful life, what originally inspired you to embark on a career in design?