It's the eve of Jean Paul Gaultier's first fashion show on the mainland, and the view from his suite at the Park Hyatt in Beijing is of a smog-filled sky. But the haze does not appear to dull the Frenchman's effervescence.
Gaultier turned 60 on April 24, and his status as one of high fashion's most famous iconoclasts remains intact.
'I am a Taurus and a Dragon,' he says, flashing an impish smile that many will remember from the television programme Eurotrash, which he co-hosted with Antoine de Caunes for seven series from 1993. He's wearing a T-shirt and a pair of trousers adorned with black rhinestones on the legs.
Gaultier has had a bountiful year, his creative influence having extended beyond the realm of fashion. The exhibition 'The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier', has been touring major cities from Montreal to San Francisco. The catalogue is massive, spanning decades of work: 'You can do gymnastics with it, as well; it's like a weight,' he says, jokingly.
In March, he was named creative director for Diet Coke in Europe, and he has designed two limited edition bottles and shot a series of offbeat commercials for the soft drinks giant.
It was announced a few weeks ago that Gaultier would be on the jury for the Cannes International Film Festival alongside, among others, actor Ewan McGregor and director Alexander Payne. 'I was flattered to be appointed ... super flattered. This was like a dream for me. I did not expect it.'