Getting to Know Jean-Paul Gaultier: The Unconventional “Bad Boy” of Fashion

It has been said that every French person would know Jean-Paul Gaultier. But even those who don't know his name would likely recognise his designs.

Nicknamed as the fashion’s l'enfant terrible by French media, the unconventional designer has been responsible for pushing the boundaries and changing the game in the fashion industry throughout his entire career. 

From introducing gender-bending fashion designs, such as the iconic men’s skirts, structural corsets, and tattoo-print mesh tops, Gaultier was also popular for championing diversity on his runways by featuring older, pregnant, plus-size, transgender, and heavily tattooed models. And then there were his outrageous, campy, yet always stunning outfits that combined elements of nightclub subculture and punk with mainstream fashion that made his collections unique and singular.

"I saw the unjust imbalance of the sexes, and I saw strong and clever women and wanted to express that," said Gaultier to i-D Magazine in an interview.

And he didn’t just create outfits, but Gaultier is also responsible for some of the world's most famous perfumes, like Le Male and Classique, which are known for their innovative torso-shaped bottles and exotic sensory fragrances.

And his creative wit really knows no bounds. He has designed gold bars, worked in partnership with Mercedes-Benz for a car, and his designs have even been worn by the world's biggest music superstars, from Madonna to Beyoncé. Remember the bra cone dress and the garter-fitted corset?

But beyond fashion design, Gaultier has always been a designer-cum-artist who champions the outcast, the bizarre, and those who didn’t truly fit. He understands that fashion is made of cultural references and shaped by what’s going on around us. 

Here’s the complete MAYFEYR breakdown on why Jean-Paul Gaultier is fashion’s greatest showman.

Pierre Cardin & His Own Fashion Label  

From a young age, Gaultier had already been fascinated with fashion design, especially after exploring his grandmother’s wardrobe that opened up the world of fashion for him.

Imagine this: in the 1960s, when Gaultier was only 13 years old, he actually crafted a collection for his mother and grandmother, featuring outfits such as bell-bottoms and miniskirts that reflected the more progressive fashion trends of the era. Having devoured countless fashion magazines, young Gaultier was fascinated by this shift, away from the more conservative styles of the ’50s, which would perhaps later inspire his championing of individuality, freedom, and subcultures in his own collections.

Not only was young Gaultier blessed with creative imagination, but he was also one of the designers who could actually sketch. There was this famous story from when he was bored in class and was caught doodling cabaret dresses by his teacher, inspired by what he watched in a televised broadcast of a revue from the famous Folies Bergère. That got him in trouble, but it never stopped Gaultier from pursuing his unique approach in fashion.

And at only 18 years old, Gaultier landed the golden ticket. After distributing his sketches to various French designers, young Gaultier was offered a job as an assistant by none other than another legendary Pierre Cardin in the 1970s. What he lacked in formal training in fashion design, he picked up while working for Cardin.

When Cardin passed back in the year 2020, Gaultier paid a heartfelt tribute to his mentor: "Thank you Monsieur Cardin for opening the doors of fashion to me and making my dream possible,” as quoted from his official page.

As luck would have it, in 1975, Gaultier met his business partner and former boyfriend, Francis Menuge, who pushed him to showcase his distinctive talent. With Menuge’s support, Gaultier launched his own prêt-à-porter label in 1976, presenting his first collection at the Palais de la Découverte in Paris.

But his success came almost a decade later. While his 1983 L’Homme-Objet collection was noticed by critics, it was when Gaultier introduced his marinière (the classic French striped sailor shirt) with a unique twist that it became a core element of his brand’s designs. 

And a year later, his Fall/Winter 1984 “Barbès” collection catapulted Gaultier into mainstream attention. Always a trailblazer with a curious sensibility, Gaultier explored the nuances of underwear-as-outerwear for his ’84 show, drawing inspiration from his grandmother’s old closet and reshaping the female silhouette in an empowering manner. And yes, this was also the moment he introduced his popular cone-bra corset, which he originally designed for his teddy bear, as quoted by Vogue. 

The next year, Gaultier also debuted a menswear collection that once again defied social norms. For his Spring/Summer 1985 show, Et Dieu Créa l’Homme, he introduced his historic men’s skirt suit (which was later worn by David Beckham in the 90s), featuring wide-legged tailored trousers with a wrap-around fabric panel that draped like a kilt or sarong. The show undoubtedly cemented Gaultier’s signature approach to design by subverting gender stereotypes and expectations. 

Madonna, Haute Couture & Hermès

While Jean-Paul Gaultier was already famous in the ’80s as fashion’s rebellious designer, he became a global pop-culture superstar in the 1990s. And this was in large part thanks to his muse and close friend, Madonna.

The global pop star is known for her eccentric and sensual outfits, but none of them match the cultural impact of Gaultier’s cone-bra corset that she wore for her Blond Ambition Tour in 1990. It was reported by Business Insider that Gaultier designed more than 300 of her costumes, including another memorable outfit: the pink corset that she wore over men’s trousers.

The ’90s also saw Gaultier venture into Hollywood, when he designed the full costume wardrobe for the hit futuristic sci-fi film The Fifth Element, directed by another French legend, Luc Besson. 

At the height of his career, Gaultier received an interesting offer from LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault. Expecting to be offered the position of couturier at Dior, Gaultier was instead asked to take over at Givenchy. Disappointed by the change of plans, Gaultier declined the offer and decided to do it himself instead.

Gaultier’s first foray into haute couture began with his Spring 1997 show, where he infused his rebellious creativity into the collection. From androgynous tailoring and tight corseting, to camp and jumpsuits trimmed with vibrant macaw feathers, Gaultier’s haute couture transformation helped showcase the designer’s talent in a different light, as he successfully blended high-end French craftsmanship with a street-culture edge.

This was followed by numerous stunning haute couture shows, including the Flying Jackets Spring 2003 collection, where he sent supermodels like Naomi Campbell down the runway with tuxedo jackets attached to the front of their bodies like aprons, calling out the dismissive claim that models are merely “walking coat hangers.”

In 2014, after nearly four decades in the industry, Jean-Paul Gaultier decided to stop his ready-to-wear collections and instead focus on haute couture. He cited “commercial constraints” and the “frenetic pace of collections” as the main reasons, which made sense, as he could be involved in up to 16 collections a year. As Gaultier famously put it, “Too many clothes kills clothes.”

However, before his pivot into focusing on haute couture, Gaultier also famously became the creative director of women’s ready-to-wear at Hermès from 2003 to 2010, which, suffice it to say, was nothing short of extraordinary.

Known for its luxury leather craftsmanship, the French maison was given a new edge with Gaultier’s avant-garde and theatrical runway shows, as well as a fun spin to Hermès’ leather goods, introducing new classic Birkin and Kelly bags.

For one of his final shows at Hermès, Gaultier did the complete opposite and drew inspirations from the 60’s British TV series The Avengers and Savile Row tailoring. But the cherry on top was definitely his “So Black” leather accessories, where each item featured a matte black PVD finish, making them highly coveted collector’s pieces.

After countless memorable runway shows and unpredictable spins on design, the unconventional “bad boy” of fashion retired from the runway in 2020 delivering his final couture show with a bang. 

Blending his nautical-inspired looks with sheer tulle and divine bodice looks, Gaultier also partnered with Swarovski and incorporated 700,000 crystals across 18 key looks and 25 accessories, reminding the fashion industry that there would only ever be one Jean-Paul Gaultier.

Since his retirement, the Jean-Paul Gaultier fashion house has invited several guest designers to reinterpret the maison’s legacy before appointing Duran Lantink as its permanent creative director last year. And for Gaultier himself, he now focused his evocative creativity on his autobiographical theatrical revue, the Fashion Freak Show. 

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