Jean Paul Gaultier was born
in Arcueil France in 1952 and was educated at the Lycee d'Arcueil. He
worked for Pierre Cardin, Esterel and Patou from 1972-1975. In 1978,
he founded Jean Paul Gaultier S.A.
Jean Paul Gaultier brought kitsch
to fashion. He redefined the traditionally elegant Paris fashion by
glamourizing fashion on the street and cleaning it up for the catwalk.
His inspirations are eclectic-
from flea markets, to pop culture; his interests are varied also - Paris
haute couture to costume design for movies. (He was the costume designer
for the movie, Fifth Element.)
A master crafstman and an innovative
designer, he won won the Fashion Oscar Award, Paris in 1987.
"Clothing has no gender with
the exception of the corset. The Roman toga, the sari, and kimono are
all mixed. The 70's rock stars dared wear ruffled shirts and androgyny
rose from there. I wanted to make men more sensitive, more sensual,
more seductive, and women more expressive in their clothing, more daring."
-- Jean Paul Gaultier
