Cardin Representatives Deny Designer Withdrawing from Israel

Representatives of Pierre Cardin in the U.S. and Canada say reports that the world-famous designer bowed to Arab boycott pressures and has withdrawn from business in Israel are completely groundless, a spokesman for Cardin told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

North American companies which are licensed to produce Cardin-designed merchandise here say that they have received first-hand reports from Bagir, a company sub-licensed to manufacture Cardin men’s clothing in Israel, that its representatives are meeting in September with the designer and his associates in Paris to discuss future operations.

Bagir has been sub-licensed to manufacture Cardin men’s wear in Israel by the House of Bril, a French firm which holds the license to produce and distribute Cardin clothing in France and several other countries including those in the Middle East.

During the past week, a North American licensee visiting Israel met with executives of Bagir, the Cardin spokesman said. The Bagir representatives pointed out that the license agreement with Bril was due to expire this year and had not been renewed, a move which apparently triggered a number of negative reports concerning the designer’s business in Israel. According to both Bagir and Cardin representatives, the scheduled September meeting in Paris may determine whether Cardin merchandise will continue to be manufactured in Israel or whether it will be exported from France to Israel, as is done with almost all other countries in the Middle East. Cardin has said there is every intention to continue to do business in Israel, the spokesman affirmed.

The fact that the present agreement with Bagir is under study is based purely on business and economic considerations, representatives say; they point out that the House of Cardin is an international organization with interests in almost every country in the world and its marketing and distribution policies are not determined by any political or religious considerations.