1stDibs ExpertAugust 29, 2024
Yes, Jean Paul Gaultier is a real person. He is a fashion designer who has created wildly provocative, transformational designs for day dresses, gowns, tops and other garments that draw on numerous influences and boldly merge haute couture with street sensibility. Gaultier began his career in 1970 as an assistant to Pierre Cardin, who admired the sketches the 18-year-old had sent for his appraisal. After Gaultier had his first runway show in 1976, featuring unconventional statements like pairing motorcycle jackets with ballerina skirts, it didn’t take long for his star to rise. In addition to designing under his own label, he created costumes for film and stage. He was nominated for a César Award for Best Costume Design for The City of Lost Children (1995) and then a second for Luc Besson’s The Fifth Element (1997). Gaultier presented his last couture show in 2020, ending his boundary-pushing, industry-shaping reign with a raucous presentation of more than 230 outfits formed from fragments of collections from across his 50-year career. On 1stDibs, find a collection of Jean Paul Gaultier apparel and accessories.