Jean Paul Gaultier (born 1952, Arcueil, near Paris) never went to fashion school. He sent sketches to Pierre Cardin at 18, got a job, and by 1976 was showing his own collections. He became fashion’s enfant terrible by putting men in skirts, women in corsets worn as outerwear, and every kind of body and face on his runway decades before “diversity” was a word the industry used. He gave Madonna her cone bra and the world the Breton-striped sailor as a fashion icon. After he stopped ready-to-wear in 2014, his haute couture became a twice-yearly party, ending with a 50-year farewell in 2020. This guide maps his defining moments and links to every Gaultier show we have reviewed.
Jean Paul Gaultier at a glance
| Born | 24 April 1952, Arcueil, France |
| Trained | Self-taught; assistant to Pierre Cardin from 1970, then Jacques Esterel and Jean Patou |
| First show | 1976 |
| Haute couture | From 1997 to his final show in January 2020 |
| Also designed | Hermès womenswear, 2003–2010 |
| Owner | Puig, majority owner since 2011 |
| Creative director today | Duran Lantink, since April 2025 |
| Signatures | Breton stripes, corsetry as outerwear, cone bras, skirts for men, tattoo prints, diverse casting |
Timeline: Jean Paul Gaultier
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1970 | Hired by Pierre Cardin after sending him sketches |
| 1976 | First collection under his own name |
| 1984–85 | Launches menswear and sends men down the runway in skirts |
| 1990 | Designs Madonna’s Blond Ambition tour costumes, including the cone bra |
| 1993 | Launches the fragrance Classique, in a corset-shaped bottle; Le Male follows in 1995 |
| 1997 | Shows his first haute couture collection; designs costumes for The Fifth Element |
| 2003 | Becomes womenswear designer at Hermès (until 2010) |
| 2011 | Puig buys a majority stake; the retrospective The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier opens in Montreal |
| 2014 | Stops ready-to-wear to focus on couture |
| 2020 | Spring 2020 couture, a 50-year retrospective show, is his last |
| 2021–2025 | Guest designers create one couture collection each |
| 2025 | Duran Lantink is named creative director; ready-to-wear returns with Spring 2026 |
Every Jean Paul Gaultier collection we have reviewed
Gaultier himself, 2011–2020
| Season | Our take | Ayerhs review |
|---|---|---|
| Ready-to-wear Fall 2011 | Stripping Down Elegance | Read |
| Ready-to-wear Spring 2012 | Everything You Need | Read |
| Couture Spring 2012 | An Ode to Amy Winehouse | Read |
| Couture Fall 2012 | The Art of Duality | Read |
| Couture Spring 2013 | Fortune Teller’s Charm | Read |
| Fall 2013 | Big Cat Glamour | Read |
| Fall 2013 | Patchwork Perfection | Read |
| Couture Spring 2014 | Butterflies in My Heart | Read |
| Couture Fall 2014 | Vampires and Victorians | Read |
| Couture Spring 2015 | Say Yes to the Dress | Read |
| Couture Fall 2015 | Fog, Folklore & Fox Fur | Read |
| Couture Spring 2016 | Le Palace Comes Alive | Read |
| Couture Fall 2016 | Woodland Whimsy | Read |
| Couture Spring 2017 | Floral Cheeky Charm | Read |
| Couture Fall 2017 | Indian Winters | Read |
| Couture Spring 2018 | Fringe and Day-Glo | Read |
| Couture Fall 2018 | Smoke and Mirrors | Read |
| Couture Spring 2019 | From the Sea to Japan | Read |
| Couture Fall 2019 | Illusions of Fur | Read |
| Couture Spring 2020 | 50 Years of Genius (his farewell) | Read |
The guest designers, 2021–2025
| Season | Guest designer | Ayerhs review |
|---|---|---|
| Couture Fall 2021 | Chitose Abe (Sacai) | – |
| Couture Spring 2022 | Glenn Martens (Y/Project, Diesel) | Read |
| Couture Fall 2022 | Olivier Rousteing (Balmain) | Read |
| Couture Spring 2023 | Haider Ackermann | – |
| Couture Fall 2023 | Julien Dossena (Paco Rabanne) | Read |
| Couture Spring 2024 | Simone Rocha | Read |
| Couture Fall 2024 | Nicolas Di Felice (Courrèges) | – |
| Couture Spring 2025 | Ludovic de Saint Sernin | – |
Duran Lantink, 2025–present
| Season | Our take | Ayerhs review |
|---|---|---|
| Spring 2026 | A disappointing debut | Read |
| Fall 2026 | Moving beyond shock value | Read |
Before Gaultier, see Lantink under his own name: Fall 2021 and Fall 2025.
The 5 moments that defined Jean Paul Gaultier
1. Skirts for men, 1985
- What happened: Gaultier’s menswear collection “And God Created Man” put men in wrap skirts and kilts.
- Why it mattered: It challenged what masculinity could wear, decades before genderless fashion went mainstream.
2. Madonna’s cone bra, 1990
- What happened: A satin corset with spiralled cone cups for the Blond Ambition tour.
- Why it mattered: Underwear became armour, and Gaultier became a household name.
3. Couture Spring 2012: Amy Winehouse
- What happened: Beehives, winged eyeliner and tattoo-inspired details as a tribute to the singer, who had died the summer before.
- Why it mattered: Pure Gaultier: pop culture treated with couture seriousness. Read our review.
4. Couture Spring 2016: Le Palace
- What happened: A love letter to Le Palace, the Paris nightclub of the late 1970s where Gaultier spent his youth.
- Why it mattered: Nightlife as the source of fashion, a theme running through his whole career. Read our review.
5. Couture Spring 2020: the farewell
- What happened: A party of a show with more than 200 looks and friends from five decades on the runway, closing his career.
- Why it mattered: A greatest-hits finale for one of the last founder-designers in Paris. Read our review.
How to spot a Gaultier: signature codes
| Signature | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Marinière | The navy-and-white Breton stripe, his personal uniform |
| Corsetry | Corsets and bustiers worn outside, as armour |
| Cone bra | Conical, spiral-stitched cups |
| Gender play | Skirts on men, tailoring on women |
| Tattoo prints | Sheer mesh printed with tattoos, worn as a second skin |
| Casting | Every age, size and gender on the runway, often friends and non-models |
Keep reading on Ayerhs
- Jean Paul Gaultier: the complete guide
- A–Z of Jean Paul Gaultier
- Martin Margiela collections – Gaultier’s most famous former assistant
- A History of the Corset
Jean Paul Gaultier: FAQ
Is Jean Paul Gaultier still designing?
No. He retired after his Spring 2020 couture show. Duran Lantink has been creative director since 2025.
Who designed Madonna’s cone bra?
Jean Paul Gaultier, for her 1990 Blond Ambition world tour.
Who were the Jean Paul Gaultier guest couture designers?
Chitose Abe, Glenn Martens, Olivier Rousteing, Haider Ackermann, Julien Dossena, Simone Rocha, Nicolas Di Felice and Ludovic de Saint Sernin, one collection each from 2021 to 2025.
Does Jean Paul Gaultier still make ready-to-wear?
Yes, again. It stopped in 2014 and returned under Duran Lantink with Spring 2026.
Sources: Puig; Dazed; W Magazine; The Industry; Montreal Museum of Fine Arts; Ayerhs archive reviews.
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