RATE IT IN ?

Jean-Paul Gaultier Haute Couture - Fall Winter 09/10

by Mayday

Added: about 1 year ago

Born in 1952, it was Jean-Paul Gaultier’s aversion sports and other typical childhood fare that lead him to instead try his hand at fashion design. It was at the young age of 13 that he designed a collection of clothing to be worn by his mother and grandmother, and by the age of 17, he sent some of his sketches various couture stylists in France. It was none other than Pierre Cardin who promptly chose to hire the young design prodigy as his assistant in 1970.

Labeled the ‘Enfant Terrible’ (Bad Boy) within the world of those involved in French fashion, Gaultiers collection tend to borrow inspiration from popular culture and the world of street wear. His haute couture collections, on the other hand, tend to be quite formal and unusual.

It was Kashiyama, Japanese clothing manufacturer, who had heard of Gaultier’s growing reputation that signed him for an exclusive contract for both men’s and ladies wear that really launched him into the spotlight.

Gaultier’s shows gained notoriety, much of which was attributed to the odd location we would hold them - they were often held in a theatre that has formally been a slaughterhouse in Paris. His shows became the media event during the height of fashion season and were attended by not only celebrities of the fashion world but by celebrities in general due to the high profile nature of the events.

His connection to street wear and the theatrics of costumes has seen him design clothing and costumes for Madonna, for both her Blonde Ambition Tour in the 90’s as well as the Confession’s Tour in ‘96, the movie The Fifth Element and Marilyn Manson, just to name a few.