Erik Mortensen is the closest Denmark comes to the world of fashion in Paris. At age 16, he moved from a small town in the countryside to Copenhagen to become an apprentice with Holger Blom, the best-known Danish fashion designer of the 1930s and 1940s. By the time he was 22, he was on his way to Paris, where he ambitiously went after a position at the atelier of Pierre Balmain.

His dream came true, and his haute couture fairytale began in 1947, when the young Erik Mortensen became a student at Balmain. In 1951 he became Balmain's first assistant, and in 1982 he took over the role of head designer after Balmain's death.

Erik Mortensen was born 26 April 1926 in Frederikshavn, Denmark.

He moved to Copenhagen when he was 16 years old, where he became an apprentice to the fashion designer Holger Blom.

When Pierre Balmain died in 1982, Erik Mortensen took on the role of head designer and carried on Balmain’s legacy while also creating his own style.

He designed a total of 17 collections as the head designer at Balmain.

Erik Mortensen left Pierre Balmain in 1990 and was hired as the head designer for Jean-Louis Scherrer in 1992. He designed four collections for the house from 1992-95.

Erik Mortensen died on 23 June 1998 in Paris.