Jean Paul Gaultier
Style keywords
About the brand
Jean Paul Gaultier is a French haute couture and prêt-à-porter fashion designer, famously known as the "enfant terrible" of the fashion industry. Born in 1952 in Arcueil, a suburb of Paris, Gaultier established his eponymous fashion label in 1982 after working with legendary designers including Pierre Cardin and Jean Patou. His unconventional designs feature iconic motifs such as corsets, marinières (sailor stripes), and transformative silhouettes that challenge traditional fashion norms. Gaultier revolutionized fashion by blurring gender boundaries, famously putting men in skirts and women in masculine tailoring. His most recognizable creation remains Madonna's cone bra for her 1990 Blond Ambition World Tour. Known for his fearless use of unexpected materials and provocative pairing of contrasting elements, Gaultier consistently challenged social conventions through fashion. He served as creative director for Hermès from 2003 to 2010 and retired following his 50th-anniversary haute couture show in January 2020.
