Jean Paul Gaultier facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jean-Paul Gaultier
Gaultier in 2006
Born	(1952-04-24) 24 April 1952 (age 73) Arcueil, France
Label(s)	Jean Paul Gaultier Hermès (2003–2010)
Partner(s)	Francis Menuge (from 1975; died 1990)

Jean Paul Gaultier (born 24 June 1952) is a famous French fashion designer. He is known for creating unique and often surprising clothing.

People sometimes called him the "enfant terrible" (which means "terrible child" in French) of the fashion world. This was because he loved to use unusual ideas in his designs. He often used things like corsets, striped sailor shirts called marinières, and even tin cans in his clothes.

Gaultier started his own fashion brand, named after himself, in 1982. He also launched a line of fragrances (perfumes) in 1993. From 2003 to 2010, he was the main designer for the famous French luxury company Hermès. He stopped designing for the runway after his 50th-anniversary fashion show in January 2020.

Besides fashion, Gaultier also designed costumes for movies and music tours. He created Madonna's famous cone bra for her 1990 "Blond Ambition World Tour." He also designed costumes for films like The City of Lost Children (1995), The Fifth Element (1997), and The Skin I Live In (2011).

Early Life and Start in Fashion

Jean Paul Gaultier grew up near Paris, France. His mother was a clerk and his father was an accountant. It was his grandmother, Marie Garrabe, who first showed him the exciting world of fashion.

Gaultier never went to a special design school. Instead, he started sending his fashion sketches to famous designers when he was very young. Pierre Cardin, a well-known designer, was impressed by Gaultier's talent. Cardin hired him as an assistant in 1970. Gaultier then worked with other designers like Jacques Esterel and Jean Patou. He even managed a Pierre Cardin shop in Manila for a year. He left Manila and decided not to return, focusing on his own design path.

Fashion Career Highlights

Starting His Own Brand

Jean Paul Gaultier showed his first fashion collection in 1976. At the time, many people found his designs very different. However, important fashion editors from magazines like Elle and Marie Claire were amazed by his creativity. They helped him start his career. In 1980, he even designed women's dresses made from plastic trash bags!

In 1982, Gaultier officially started his own fashion label, "Jean Paul Gaultier." His 1983 collection, called "Boy Toy," brought back the classic striped sailor shirt (marinière) for men. His clothes quickly became popular and were sold in big stores like Bergdorf Goodman in New York. People even started using the word "Gaultiered" to describe classic clothes that he had redesigned in his unique way.

Breaking Fashion Rules

In 1984, Jean Paul Gaultier surprised many by introducing skirts for men (which were actually kilts) in his fashion shows. This was a big change in men's fashion and caused some discussion. In the same year, he also created the famous women's corset with a cone-shaped bra, which became one of his most recognizable designs.

By 1985, his company was making a lot of sales around the world. The famous singer Madonna even wore a skirt with men's suspenders that she bought from Gaultier for a movie premiere. In 1988, Gaultier added a new line called "Junior Gaultier," which offered clothes at lower prices.

Changes and Growth

Towards the end of the 1980s, Gaultier went through some difficult personal times. In 1990, his business partner, Francis Menuge, passed away. After this, Gaultier decided to make his fashion shows more personal and less flashy.

In 1993, Gaultier launched his first perfume, "Classique." The "Junior Gaultier" label later changed to "JPG by Gaultier" in 1994. This new line was for both men and women, showing Gaultier's idea that fashion should be fluid and not limited by gender. He also had a denim-focused line called "Gaultier Jean's."

In 1999, a big luxury company called Hermès bought a part of Gaultier's fashion label. From 2003 to 2010, Gaultier became the main designer for Hermès. By 2008, there were 40 Jean Paul Gaultier stores all over the world.

Art and Retirement

Gaultier also designed furniture and even an Evian water bottle in 2008. In 2011, a major art museum in Montreal created a special exhibition called "The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk." This show traveled to many famous museums around the world, including New York, London, and Paris.

In 2014, Gaultier announced that he would stop designing ready-to-wear clothes (everyday fashion) to focus only on haute couture. Haute couture means very high-end, custom-made fashion. In 2016, he designed over 500 costumes for a big show in Berlin.

In 2018, he created a cabaret show based on his life called "Fashion Freak Show" in Paris. He also worked with the streetwear brand Supreme in 2019. On January 17, 2020, Jean Paul Gaultier announced that his next fashion show would be his last, and he was retiring from the runway.

Music and Television Appearances

Gaultier with Madonna, 2015

In 1988, Gaultier released a dance song called "How To Do That." He also collaborated with accordion player Yvette Horner.

Gaultier is a big fan of the Eurovision Song Contest, which is a popular music competition in Europe. He has designed outfits for several French singers competing in Eurovision since 1991. He even helped commentate on the contest in 2008. In 2013, he designed the dress for the host of the show, Petra Mede.

From 1993 to 1997, Gaultier co-hosted a TV show called Eurotrash on Channel 4. In 2022, he appeared as a guest judge on Drag Race France.

Jean Paul Gaultier Products

Jean Paul Gaultier's logo

Bottle of the male's fragrance Ultra Male.

Jean Paul Gaultier is famous for his fashion and also for his popular perfumes. His main perfumes are "Classique" for women, launched in 1993, and "Le Male" for men, launched in 1995. These two perfumes are considered his most important products and show the values of his brand. "Le Male" was the best-selling men's perfume in the European Union in 2012.

As of 2020, the "Classique," "Le Male," and "Scandal" perfume lines are still being made and sold.

Gaultier's Unique Style

Jean Paul Gaultier's fashion style, which started in 1981, is known for being bold and playful. This is why he earned the nickname "enfant terrible" of French fashion.

Many of Gaultier's collections are inspired by everyday street fashion and popular culture. However, his haute couture collections are very formal but still unusual and fun. Gaultier says he gets ideas from TV culture and street styles, where daring new looks often begin. His main inspirations include French popular culture, mixing different types of styles and genders, and futuristic designs.

When he launched his haute couture line in 1997, it was a huge success. This collection allowed him to fully show off his creative ideas, drawing inspiration from many different cultures, from ancient India to Hasidic Judaism.

Gaultier often surprised people by using different kinds of models in his shows. He featured older men, women with fuller figures, and models with piercings and tattoos. He also liked to play with traditional gender roles in his shows. This made him both criticized and very popular. He is even credited with starting the "granny grey" hair color trend, after showing models with grey hair in his 2011 fashion show.

Famous Designs and Collaborations

Jean Paul Gaultier has designed for many famous people and projects:

• Madonna: He created her famous cone bra for her 1990 "Blond Ambition World Tour." He also designed her clothes for her 2006 "Confessions Tour."
• Björk: The Icelandic artist modeled for him in 1994.
• Marilyn Manson: Gaultier designed some of his costumes and outfits.
• Mylène Farmer: He designed the costumes for her 2009 tour.
• Marion Cotillard: He designed the beautiful white and silver mermaid dress she wore when she won an Oscar in 2008.
• Lady Gaga: She wore his designs on the VMAs red carpet in 2009.
• Rihanna: She wore his designs on the Grammys red carpet in 2011 and at the American Music Awards in 2013.
• Beyoncé: She wore his designs in her "Run The World (Girls)" music video in 2011.
• Kylie Minogue: He designed the costumes for her international "KylieX2008" tour.
• Leslie Cheung: Gaultier designed eight costumes for his last concert tour in 2000.
• Tupac Shakur: He wore a leather vest designed by Gaultier for the cover of his album "All Eyez on Me" (1996).
• Kim Kardashian: She wore his designs on the Grammys red carpet in 2015.

Film and TV Work

Gaultier at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.

In 2012, Gaultier was part of the jury for the main competition at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. This was the first time a fashion designer was asked to be a judge at this famous film festival. In 2024, he announced that he would be making his first animated feature film.

As an Actor

Jean Paul Gaultier has also appeared in some TV shows and movies, often playing himself or a designer.

As a Costume Designer

Gaultier designed costumes for several well-known films:

Images for kids

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  Gaultier's designs, like this bustier, became very famous in the 1980s.

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  A unique bustier-style dress made to look like feathers.

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  An unusual white lace design.

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  A creative design from Jean Paul Gaultier's "Fashion Freak Show."

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  Another design from the "Fashion Freak Show" in 2019.

See also

In Spanish: Jean-Paul Gaultier para niños