World of L ’ enfant Terrible
With his first major exhibition to hit London this month , we take some time to appreciate the iconic designer that is Jean Paul Gaultier , from his obsession with cultures to the styling of Madonna we explore how one man has shaped the fashion industry for the past forty years
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One of the most inventive and influential designers over the past three decades .
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With an immense focus on identity this issue , I feel that there is no greater representation of self-discovery and creating your own individual ‘ identity ’ than that of French born designer Jean Paul Gaultier . Ahead of his first major exhibition devoted specifically to the designer , starting 9th of April the public are invited to view Jean Paul Gaultier ’ s life work and the great impact he has had on the fashion world . The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier , From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk is due to showcase in London ’ s Barbican this month and we thought what better way to get excited for what ’ s sure to be a flamboyant magnificent display than taking the time to look back to appreciate and remember the talented man himself . Being one of the most inventive and influential designers over the past three decades , his eccentric and controversially radical ideas have been both successfully praised whilst also receiving a great deal of criticism all at the same time . Identity is something that defines us and is the key to making a person recognisable both socially and culturally . Every so often there comes a character that thrives to ‘ break the mould ’ and through out the last thirty or so years Jean Paul Gaultier has definitely done so within the fashion industry . Identity defines a subject and when that identity is disrupted and challenged by an individual it can cause an array of responses , and in Jean Paul Gaultier ’ s case it has been the key to his triumph .
From Arcueil , a suburb in Paris , the long-running fashion capitol of the World , Gaultier unquestionably brakes away from the traditional values of the city and culture in which he was born . Earning himself the title of “ L ’ enfant terrible ” the French expression , originally referring to a child who may say embarrassing things to adults , now holds many connotations of a successful ‘ genius ’, who in some cases can be offensive or rebellious . Classically , they are someone who challenges an establishment , and Jean Paul Gaultier has undeniably done so since the debut of his very own collection . Aged 18 and without any formal training or education in fashion , Gaultier began to work as Pierre Cardin ’ s design assistant , going on to create an American collection for Cardin . Working under a fashion brand makes it difficult for a person to have his or her own style or identity , as you are working to create something to suit someone else ’ s style but it was in 1976 when Gaultier released his first collection that he began to creatively flourish , featuring clothes made from woven place mats , that was ridiculed by the press . It was then the release of his retro ‘ James Bond ’ collection in 1979 , backed by the Japanese textile manufacturer Kashiyama that received him international attention . As time went on he became best known for his gender bending styles by putting women in pinstriped suits and men in skirts , playing with the components that made up fashions very traditional ideologies . Receiving a lot of coverage from Vogue in the mid-late 80 ’ s his name was becoming very well known , and in 19 87 the French Federation of Couture honoured him Ready to Wear and Creators of Fashion for best Spring Collection .
Gaultier strives to revert clichés of both masculinity and femininity , in response to the feminist concept that fashion objectifies women , his first menswear collection , ‘ L ’ homme objet ’ featured men wearing skirts . Influenced by the punk subculture , Gaultier was said to use “ bad taste ” in an effort to break taboos . Gaultier is not only a worldwide success in the fashion industry ; he has also had great succession in costume and set design working on several films in his time . His most well known costume design was probably for the 1989 film , The Cook , The Thief , His Wife & Her Lover . The ‘ British-French romantic crime drama ’ features violent and nude scenes and at the time of its release was noted on its formalism and was said to be extremely lavish , due to its content the film was X-rated , Jean Paul Gaultier ’ s involvement in this type of film reflects his style to push boundaries and his blasé attitude towards sex , his work in the film was noted from the scene where every time a character entered a new room their costume would change to represent the new room , showcasing his designing talents . Gaultier was most notably known in the TV industry for being the host of Channel 4 ’ s Eurotrash , one of the UK ’ s longest running late night TV shows . I have memories from being younger that Eurotrash was something that my mum definitely wouldn ’ t approve of me watching , and at the time from a child ’ s point of view I knew that the programme was certainly for adults only . Launched with backing from Richard Branson he co-hosted the programme with
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