Essay Design - Fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier

One of the most famous fashion designers, Jean Paul Gaultier, was born on the 24th April 1952 in Arcueil, France. As a child he was not interested in sports or activities but he was interested in fashion. When he was seven he created a bra from newspaper for his own stuffed bear.When he turned the age of 13 he started designing a collection of clothing for his mother and grandmother. At the age of 15 he created a coat with a bag sewn into it which shown his creativity. He got his inspiration from magazines, television, films and popular fashion designers and started creating his own designs.

 Gauilter sent sketches to popular Paris designers looking for a job and when he turned 18 he was hired as an assistant for  Pierre Cardin.  His sketches were published in a French magazine called Mode International. He also worked for Jacques Esteral and Jean Patou . In 1976 he released  his first design clothing line for a company called Mayagor. He became very famous and iconic with designs such as the male skirt, corsets and undergarments worn as outerwear and tattoo-printed body stockings.  He launched a secondary line, Junior Gaultier and started creating perfumes. His styles were more focused on street wear and popular culture.

In 1987 Jean Paul received the French designer of the year award.  New York's Metropolitan Museum hosted an exhibition titled Bravehearts: Men in Skirts. It was sponsored by Jean Paul Gaultier and various designers and fashion houses took part . It showed designs inspired by males in skirts such as the Romans, Greeks and Scottish. He also created costumes for films such as, The Fifth Element. Showing his creativity and originality there was an exhibition in Paris at the Fondation Cartier titled 'Pain Couture' showing clothing made out of bread.

In 1990 he was the designer for Madonna's Blond Ambition tour. She wore under garments as outer garments  and a salmon-pink corset with conical bra cups. Gaultier created costumes for Kylie Minogue's  X Tour in 2008.

The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier : From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk is an exhibition touring across the world. It is another of Gaultier's one of a kind event. It shows his inspiration of a mixture of cultures, traditions and religions. It is now showing at the Grand Palais in Paris.

I chose Jean Paul Gaultier for this essay because he is an original fashion designer. I enjoyed looking at his creativity and iconic designs such as the costumes made like under wear such as the conical bra. His designs are all different inspired by world cultures. What I found original were the Couture designs  made out of bread. I believe Jean Paul Gaultier is a great Artist of this century. 

Himself dressed in his iconic kilt and Breton strip sweater  

Past designs

A bra for his own stuffed bear

Jean Paul Gaultier -Created a coat with a bag 

Jean Paul Gaultier's Children's collection - Junior Gaultier

One of Jean Paul Gaultier's perfumes

Tattoo-printed body stockings

Madonna's blonde Ambition tour salmon-pink corset with conical bra cups

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 She appeared on stage wearing a cone shaped bra under a men's style suit with strategic slashes in the front.

Madonna - Sketches for 'Blonde Ambition' 

Kylie Minogue - sketch

 One of Kyile Minogue's X Tour costumes 

These four sketches are costumes for 'The Fifth Element'

Gaultier first started creating sketches then creating costumes

 Jean Paul Gauilter and the two models wearing his costume design for 'The Fifth Element'

These two images are clothing made out of bread from the Pain Couture

                      The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier : From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk. 

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This design is entitled Skin Deep from his exhibition The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier : From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk. It is inspired as skin involves a trompe-l'oeil of muscles onto a garment.

'The Odyssey' displays such as sailors with Breton stripes, mermaids and religious iconography. 

Gaultier mixes and matches the influences in Bedouin, Orthodox, Jewish, Chinese, Flamenco, Russian, Bollywood, and Nordic

Website

bio. 2015. Jean Paul Gaultier Biography. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/jean-paul-gaultier-9307775. [Accessed 16 April 15].

Fashion Time. 2011. JEAN PAUL GAULTIER FASHION BIOGRAPHY. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.fashionintime.org/jean-paul-gaultier-fashion-biography/. [Accessed 16 April 15].

James Philips. 2007. Jean Paul Gaultier - Controversial Designs. [ONLINE] Available at:http://ezinearticles.com/?Jean-Paul-Gaultier---Controversial-Designs&id=760469. [Accessed 16 April 15].

Encyclopedia.com. 2004. Jean Paul Gaultier. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3404702409.html. [Accessed 16 April 15].