Jean Paul Gaultier

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* “Equality, diversity, and perversity” (4). These are the three personal themes of French designer, Jean Paul Gaultier. Gaultier was born in the France suburbs of Arcueil in 1952. Although Gaultier was interested in fashion from a young age, he never actually studied design formally while in school. His wild sketches became unnoticed until he was 17 years old. Due to his driving passion, 17 year old Gaultier mailed his sketches to powerhouse Pierre Cardin. Without hesitation, Gaultier quit school after being offered to work as an assistant at Cardin’s Paris studio in 1970, at age 18. After briefly working for Pierre Cardin, he began working for Jacques Esterel in 1971. It was during his time working with Esterel that Jean Paul Gaultier learnt what was eventually to become his signature style. He then went on to work for Jean Patou later that year, then returned to Cardin in 1974 for a year. * Since his debut womenswear line in 1976, his clothing has been characterized by a stylistic consistency. Jean Paul Gaultier took a stance on current world issues by developing his own dress codes. His designs landed him front and center for controversy, but at the same time immensely popular because of his tailoring perfection. Gaultier gave reason to his outrageous styles by stating, “Except for the medieval codpiece and the bra, garments have never had a gender” (4.) After he established his own design house in 1982, Gaultier soon became infamous throughout the fashion industry and often referred to as “l’enfant terrible” of fashion. His work at the time wasn’t meant to lie consistent with society’s idea of fashion forward, but instead provoke his audience by challenging the standard views of fashion. With perfected technique, Gaultier’s collections continue to push the envelope today. * Jean Paul Gaultier is famous worldwide for his avant-garde designs as well as

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