Collaboration - 4/5/24
The TRÈS GAULTIER collection is an opportunity to sort through the Maison’s archive and breathe new life into its distinctive looks. For the first time ever, Florence Tétier is updating Gaultier’s codes and stylistic identity to achieve a contemporary feel. The ad campaign by Torso takes us to the heart of Maison Jean Paul Gaultier to witness the daily life of its inhabitants, guests, muses, and friends.
OPEN DOORS
The Maison Jean Paul Gaultier, located at 325 Rue Saint-Martin in Paris, fosters various and varied encounters in a space in sync with the ebullience of the City of Lights. Between fiction and reality, the campaign, designed by Torso, lifts the veil on the effervescence of the House. Meng, the Maison’s fit model, takes on the role of the head designer of an imaginary studio. The it-girl with a rebellious streak Amelia Gray poses right next to the Haute Couture section while Vladimir McCrary, an actor and a former spokesmodel forthe brand, becomes an essential part of backstage areas. Among these figures in the Gaultier community, Dominican artist Tokischa embodies the new generation of enfants terribles. One day featuring with Madonna, the next muse of the campaign done by Torso as a package delivery woman who transforms onto an artistic director. Tokischa takes on multiple roles in life as well as on stage. The doors of the Gaultier universe open onto the fantasized backstage of fashion.
DECODING GAULTIER
In 50 years of creation, the Jean Paul Gaultier archives have become a historic fashion heritage as well as the framework of a House that still benefits today from the avant-garde spirit of its founder. Inspired by the signature silhouettes, the studio breaks free from re-editions to appropriate the brand's codes and project them onto its vision of modernity. Florence Tétier thus takes hold of the “constructivist” creative method, which was dear to Jean Paul Gaultier in the 90s, by applying this process of simplification of clothing to the entire TRÈS GAULTIER collection.
“This collection does not reproduce the iconic Gaultier pieces but, rather, offers modern interpretations of the Maison’s archetypes. With TRÈS GAULTIER, I wanted to question our basics and adapt them to the social and aesthetic mutations that have taken place since their creation. Through these completely new silhouettes that form a complete wardrobe, one can fully imagine who the Gaultier person is and what their desires are in terms of fashion and belonging.” – Florence Tétier, creative director of Jean Paul Gaultier
OUTERWEAR
Denim becomes the foundational element of the TRÈS GAULTIER collection. Symbolizing an adaptable and genderless wardrobe, it is reinterpreted in an outerwear style. The ensemble worn by Laetitia Casta at her first Jean Paul Gaultier runway show in 1993 transforms into a total loose jean look crafted directly from the fabric in petit-grand. The volumes of the trench with a worn motif are maximized, and 3D details infuse the collection, especially on the exaggerated dungaree buckles that form the straps of the cotton tank top. Denim, references to the sailor uniform – through an original sailor stripe pattern mixing subtle morphing and a print of blue flowers – minimalist tailoring pieces, and other basics of mixed dressing are reworked through new forms that embody Gaultier's essentials.
THE GAULTIER WOMEN
TRÈS GAULTIER is also playing with the everchanging codes of beauty. The eclectic and augmented Gaultier silhouette emerges anew in signature trompe-l’œil pieces that support a kaleidoscopic vision of the ideal body. In 1990, Jean Paul Gaultier created Madonna’s infamous corset. An iconic piece for any and all generations, which inspired the flowy, free, and contemporary looks of the collection. The reworked corset becomes a modular detail on a black suit jacket or wispy, fuzzy lacework on the back of a pink satin dress. The dress with an open cup bra and suspenders that Madonna wore in 1992 has been printed in both mini – and maxi – motifs on a shirt with oversized sleeves and a figure-hugging gown. The belt dress that paid homage to Frida Kahlo in the 1998 Spring / Summer RTW collection has been deconstructed to become a Goth-adjacent top made of supple leather Finally, the “Bella Dress”, which Bella Hadid wore for Monsieur Gaultier’s last Haute Couture show in 2020, morphs into a motif, scanned and ready to be worn with a pared-down dress. Each and every Gaultier woman has not only inspired and contributed to the legend, but also supported and embodied a unique fashion aesthetic that is both timeless and in dialogue with the contemporary.
THE TRÈS GAULTIER COLLECTION ARRIVES APRIL 5TH, ON FASHION.JEANPAULGAULTIER.COM AND AN EXCLUSIVE LIST OF RETAILERS.
SHARE
