100 Most Influential People in Fashion

Fashion Influential #38: Jean Paul Gaultier

Jean Paul Gaultier in Jean-Paul Gaultier Party

Jean Paul Gaultier attends the Evian bottle launch party designed by Jean Paul Gaultier at Pontoise Bath House on October 4, 2008 in Paris, France. (Getty Images)more pics » JEAN PAUL GAULTIER
Born:
April 24, 1952 in Arcueil, France
Labels:
Jean-Paul Gaultier, JPG by Gaultier, Jean's Paul Gaultier, Gaultier couture, Hermès
Film wardrobes designed:
The Fifth Element; Kika; The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover; La Cité des enfants perdus
Fans:
Madonna, Kate Hudson, Marion Cotillard, Kylie Minogue Beginnings.
Jean Paul Gaultier began working as an assistant for Pierre Cardin in 1970 even though he had no formal fashion training. His love of clothes was born at home with his grandmother, and he started sending sketches to designers when he was very young. Six years later, he launched his first individual collection.

Career Highs.
Gaultier quickly became known as the enfant terrible of the fashion world with his irreverent and often erotic creations. In 1990, Gaultier designed a cone-shaped bra for Madonna to wear on her Blonde Ambition tour, which immediately became infamous. In 1996 he launched a couture line, which was considered to be ambitious for such a small firm. Regardless, it was an overwhelming success, and in 2003 he was named the creative director of Hermès. He was also awarded the title of Chevalier in France.
Almost anything can be worn by both men and women. The clothes themselves have no gender. What is considered feminine today was masculine before, and vice versa. All my career, I have tried to make men equal to women: a woman can be feminine in a pantsuit and a man very masculine in a skirt.
- Jean Paul Gaultier

A model on the Jean Paul Gaultier Spring 2009 runway.
Career Lows.
Many of Gaultier's failures have also been his successes. He was criticized for using plus-size, transexual and heavily tattooed models, but these choices have also set him apart from the crowd and made him famous. In 1996, he presented a fashion show inspired by Hasidic dress that was considered extremely politically incorrect and outraged the public. When tastes turned minimal in the 1990s, demand for his blasphemous designs fell and his business faltered.

Legacy.
From his inspirations to his creations, Gaultier breaks fashion taboos. He isn't afraid to put men in skirts and corsets, but he has mastered the design of the classic trench coat. He has successfully brought the seemingly outrageous and costume-y avant-garde to couture by pairing his wit with meticulous craftmanship, paving the way for other designers to do the same. Though he is French, his aesthetic is largely English punk, so now the tattoos, piercings, and all the other deviants are welcome on the runway.

Madonna performing in her Gaultier cone bra outfit.
Get the Look.
Gaultier's pieces feature often not-so-subtle erotic details (remember Madonna's bra?) and are rife with gender-bending. He is known for his hard-edge rebelliousness, so choose articles with street attitude that are extremely well-made. Go out on a limb and try something unusual and fierce that accentuates your figure. Caution: if you're just going outside to get coffee, don't take Gaultier too literally - you might look like you're wearing a costume. - Olivia