French designer Pierre Cardin, who upended fashion styles in the 1960s and 70s with futuristic looks, has died at the age of 98, France’s Fine Arts Academy said in a statement on Twitter.

Cardin was also known for overhauling the fashion industry by successfully licensing his brand name and making savvy business moves.

Cardin founded his influential brand in 1950. The Italian-born designer is a contemporary of Christian Dior, who died in 1957. He was, along with Hubert de Givenchy, one of the last living members of the post-War fashion generation.

He was one of the first to show a keen business sense by exploiting brand licenses - a strategy that was embraced by rivals too before many reversed the practise in recent year. The Pierre Cardin name ended up on everything from cheap boxer shorts to bottled water.

“He has a loyal American clientele in particular,” Maryse Gaspard, a former model who works with Cardin, had shared.