Jean-Paul Gaultier
Isabel Marant
April 24, 2020
Karl Lagerfeld
April 25, 2020
Jean-Paul Gaultier is a French fashion designer born on 1952 in Val-de-Marne, France. He was never formally trained as a fashion designer, instead he began sending his sketches to famous couture stylists in the hopes of landing a job. At age 18, he caught the eye of designer Pierre Cardin and then later moved on to design for houses Jacques Esterel and Jean Patou.
The launch of Gaultier’s design house in 1982 demonstrated his sensual, irreverent style and he became known as the "enfant terrible" of French fashion. He was one of the first designers to incorporate streetwear and pop culture into his decadent designs. In 1985, he dressed his male models in an unforgettable man-skirt collection, including kilts, causing a large stir at the time but leaving an indelible mark in fashion history. Gaultier was also creative director of Hermes from 2003 to 2010.
Gaultier continually challenged stereotypical femininity and beauty, ignoring traditional gender roles by embracing androgyny and the freedom of sexuality. He has shocked the fashion world with his use of unconventional models including full-figured or older men and women, tattooed and pierced models, and non-traditional gender roles. This attitude has earned him both criticism and enormous popularity, with many commending him for breaking the strict fashion norm of too-skinny, too-young, all-white models. Gaultier announced in January 2020 that he would be retiring from the runway.
