Did Jean Paul Gaultier really retire, or was his Instagram announcement just a publicity stunt?
His 50-year career includes dressing Madonna and working with Hermès and Pierre Cardin, but although the French designer announced on Instagram his Parisian show was his last, a quick remark afterward suggested otherwise
French designer Jean Paul Gaultier did not beat around the bush or approach a media outlet about his latest news. He simply posted about it. “Now I’m going to share something with you,” he said in a video, while speaking on his smartphone. “This will be my last haute couture show. My last Gaultier Paris show. Be there! You can’t miss this.”
The runway show at the Théâtre du Châtelet marks the designer’s 50th year in the industry, a fitting end to his run on the catwalks, or so we think. He quickly added: “However, Gaultier Paris will go on, the Haute Couture continues. I have a new concept.”
For those following his work, this comes as no great shock after he decided to stop producing ready-to-wear and menswear apparel in 2014 to focus on couture.
As we await all the little secrets Gaultier has yet to divulge about his next project, we can’t help but look back at his lucrative career.
Working with the greats
Gaultier embarked on his fashion career already a teenage prodigy. On his 18th birthday, he was employed by Pierre Cardin, after the teen sent him drawing samples. Five years before that, he had created a line of clothing for his mother and grandmother. He trained as Cardin’s assistant for one fruitful year before working with Jacques Esterel and Jean Patou, reports Business of Fashion. His early influences include Yves Saint Laurent.
French fashion’s ‘enfant terrible’
Before long, Gaultier headed his own prêt-à-porter fashion line in 1976. That same year, he held his very first Paris runway show. He had little funding to work with but the result was an unforgettable collection that was enough to earn him the attention he needed to boost his label. He later received the financial aid that he needed from Japanese retailer Kashiyama, writes Biography.com.