Jean Paul Gaultier is famed for his postmodern blend of eras and histories, looking to all corners of the world for inspiration. For example, the French designer’s A/W 2001 haute-couture collection revelled in the seduction of 1920s and 1930s Shanghai, as well as the sensuality of traditional Spanish costume. ‘The idea was to bring together everything that you imagine when you think of China – theatre, movement, colour, history and richness,’ said Jean Paul Gaultier at the time.
And so the collection featured lustrous leather qipao, fringed pagoda-shoulder jackets, naturalistic and Chinese script motifs, and swathes of brocade, Oriental jacquard and sequin, while catwalk looks were titled ‘Nuit de Chine,’ ‘Fu Manchu’ and ‘Shanghai Express’. Standout was a silk-satin sheath in lustrous purple featuring an open back festooned with 3D leaves and butterflies. Critics wrote that the collection featured ‘dragon-embroidered coats and Mandarin-collar tunics that would have made dowager Empress Tzu Hsi green with envy.’
Lelievre, Rock Fabric, 2012
Gaultier has also celebrated oriental aesthetics in his collaboration with French fabric and wallpaper company Lelièvre. The brand’s 2012 ‘Rock’ fabric celebrated the Chinese Year of the Dragon, with tattoo-inspired prints featuring koi carps, dragons, flames and red roses, whereas its recent Voyages Voyages collection includes inky floral prints and peonies – a popular Chinese symbol – tessellated in contemporary, pixelated forms.
Jean Paul Gaultier, Haute Couture, A/W01
Jean Paul Gaultier, Haute Couture, A/W01
Jean Paul Gaultier.
INFORMATION
-
New speakers for every space, from all-in-one systems to high-end towersExperience the highs and lows of your favourite audio in crisp detail with this selection of seven new speakers, large and small
-
Around London in sybaritic silence with the majestic all-electric Lunaz Phantom VClassic electrifier Lunaz has turned its skilled hands to the Rolls-Royce Phantom V. We sample the ultimate in zero-emission luxury on the streets of London
-
LG rolls out its ThinQ AI into a sleek new crew of connected home helpersThe age of thinking washing machines is well upon us, thanks to companies like LG and its ThinQ AI system, which harnesses artificial intelligence for better appliance integration
-
Chanel heads to Hangzhou, China for a poetic Métiers d’Art 2025 showThis evening in China (3 December 2024), Chanel travelled to Hangzhou’s much-mythologised West Lake, a Unesco World Heritage site, for a show that highlighted the extraordinary craft of the house’s artisans
-
Bottega Veneta constructs ‘invisible' pop-up in ShanghaiConceived by creative director Daniel Lee, the three metre-high, 100 sq m mirrored cuboid continues Bottega Veneta’s subversive denouncement of self-promotion
-
Ripple effect: Trongyee’s undulating Shantou boutiqueShenzen-based firm AD Architecture has conceived a rippling, pared-back retail design for Shantou, China-located luxury womenswear boutique Trongyee
-
The China List: Chanel, FashionWallpaper* and China’s Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Development Fund (CHSDF) present China By Design—a celebration of Chinese cultural heritage and the many global creatives who have been inspired by it. Explore the full list here.
-
Playing it spool inside Annakiki’s thread-stacked boutique -
Atelier Tao+c designs monochrome multi-brand boutique in Zhengzhou -
AIM designs steely cosmetics boutique in Hong Kong -
Inside SND’s ceremonial boutique in China’s Chongqing
