Jean Paul Gaultier
Iconic fashion designer Paul Gaultier announced his retirement from fashion at the Fashion Freak Show back in 2020. Despite taking a step back, he keeps his legacy alive by inviting a guest designer to put their own spin to the codes and archives of the house. Sacai’s Chitose Abe came first, followed by Glenn Martens of Diesel and Y/Project, and now the reign is handed over to Balmain’s artistic director Olivier Rousteing as he unveils his very first haute couture collection for Jean Paul Gaultier in Paris.
The 37-year-old French designer describes the collection as an “open letter to Jean Paul, an open letter of love.” The presentation kicks off with a slew of menswear looks which references Jean Paul Gaultier’s Spring/Summer ’94 Les Tatouages collection. Think clashes of Maasai tribal-inspired prints with pops of Breton stripes and acid washed denims. The looks are styled with ornate facial chain jewellery, chunky neck pieces and platform boots for an added dose of cool.
Rousteing’s opening womenswear look is an homage to Le Male where the model wears an outfit that resembles the brand’s iconic Le Male perfume bottle: a blue PVC striped crop top paired with a metallic tin-can-inspired skirt and matching boots. The two looks that follow suit are inspired by the iconic conical bra from Jean Paul Gaultier’s Autumn/Winter ’84 Le Dadaïsme collection which took shape in a voluminous nude floor length sporty cape and woven and laced-up jumpsuit. There are also a variety of looks that offer an interpretation of the female breasts in a trompe-l’oeil style— Kim Kardashian was spotted wearing a version of it in the front row.
Elsewhere, Rousteing puts his own spin to Jean Paul Gaultier’s irreverent tailoring where he experiments with geometry, exposing the female erogenous zones through risqué cuts and silhouettes providing a modern and fresh perspective to the art of tailoring. Overall, the collection is fun, playful and an inspiring interpretation of the iconic Parisian fashion label. Rousteing sets a high benchmark for the upcoming guest designer.