Jean Paul Gaultier

Jean-Paul Gaultier

The Label

Jean Paul Gaultier’s deconstructed trench coats, playful gender-bending references, and ample use of ethnic influences aren’t for everyone, but he also turns out fine suits and simple, influential knitwear. On the runway, Gaultier can appear costume-y, but taken piece by piece, his clothes are both interesting and wearable; he’s a serious, skilled designer who respects the female form and the history of fashion and brings them together exuberantly. He mixes colors skillfully (tobacco brown with purple, yellow with parrot green) and delights in sly erotic details like corset stitching or leather mixed with lace.

The Look

Commercial sportswear with an avant-garde soul.

The Designer

Jean Paul Gaultier was born in Arcueil, in April 1952, to a close-knit middle-class family; the designer often says that his love of corsetry and the female shape began at home with his grandmother. Pierre Cardin hired him as an assistant in 1970 despite his lack of formal fashion training. For many years after he started his own line in 1976, Gaultier’s name was usually accompanied by phrases like “cheeky,” “irreverent,” and “fashion’s bad boy” since his collections were cheerfully chockablock with erotic references (corsets, garter belts) and sometimes politically incorrect; a show he did in 1996 was “inspired” by Hasidic apparel (models in long dark coats with side curls pasted to their faces) and elicited a firestorm of outraged public opinion. The cone-bra corset he designed for Madonna’s 1990 Blonde Ambition tour, and the skirts for men that he regularly produced, cemented his reputation as a cheerful buster of stereotypes.

In the late nineties, as the world turned toward minimalism, Gaultier’s business sagged, although his successful fragrance line (sold in bottles shaped like male and female torsos) kept money flowing. He decided to launch a couture line in year 1996, an absurdly pricey venture for a relatively small design house. But it was a breathtaking success that brought him new respect. In 1999 Hermès bought 35 percent of his business, and in 2003 he was named its creative director, replacing Belgian avant-garde designer Martin Margiela. He now designs six collections a year: his ready-to-wear and couture, as well as Hermès’ ready-to-wear.

Official Website

jeanpaulgaultier.com