Jean Paul Gaultier pays homage to London

Iconic French fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier paid homage to the UK and London as he opened the latest stop on his ‘The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk’ exhibition tour at the Barbican Art Gallery. In conversation with exhibition curator

Thierry-Maxime Loriot, Gaultier chatted about his childhood, early collections, the British reputation and why London will always be a special place for him and his work, as well as sharing his advice for up-and-coming designers.



“It’s very emotional to be in London, I love to come here to have lots of fun and for inspiration,” said Jean Paul Gaultier at the opening of his exhibition in the capital. “This exhibition is like a homage to things I love, so is very much about the city.” Gaultier added: “I feel more at home here than Paris. I am honoured to have 1/8th of English blood from my grandfather’s side. You, the roast beefs, embrace me the [French] frog - I’m proud to say that.”

The exhibit marks the first major exhibition devoted to the French couturier and since its initial opening at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in 2011 it has been visited by more than one million people in eight cities in America and Europe, and after London the tour will continue on to Australia.

Nathalie Bondil, director and chief curator, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, which conceived the exhibition, said: “I wanted to show the profound humanity that inspires Jean Paul Gaultier’s work and share beyond the virtuosity of haute couture and the couturier’s unbridled imagination – the values of tolerance and respect that unite us.

“For London, a city at the heart of his creativity, we wanted the exhibition to be bigger and better than ever.”

Jean Paul Gaultier exhibition opens in London

The French designer stated he had previously resisted the idea of a museum exhibition "because that is something for when you're dead", but he did add that by making “an adventure of a show”, by adapting the exhibit in each venue, by adding life-like mannequins which sing, and by including new rooms dedicated to his muses that it puts a “Gaultier spin” on the designer retrospective.

The theatrical aspect of the designers work really comes across with this exhibition, not only with the catwalk haute couture creations that are on display, but also the use of specially designed wigs by hair stylist Odile Gilbert for the mannequins, some with dramatic metre-high Mohawks, which really adds to the human-like look of the mannequins which have faces projected on to their heads to make them appear alive as part of Gaultier’s vision to make a “tribute to humans” who have been his inspiration.

A total of 165 outfits from Gaultier's ready-to-wear and Haute Couture collections feature across the two-floor exhibit, from his early work from the 1970s to the present day, as well as iconic pieces such as Madonna’s conical bra and corsets from her 1990 Blonde Ambition tour, his tartan punk pieces that explores his love of London’s street culture, as well as a room dedicated to his use of the Breton stripe.

The exhibition is also accompanied by a free multimedia exhibition guide created by the Barbican team that can be downloaded onto smartphones and features exclusive interviews with Gaultier, his muses and collaborators, alongside photography, video and audio to enjoy while visiting the exhibition and after.

Gaultier is also curating a film season at the Barbican, ‘The Film World of Jean Paul Gaultier’, which includes films he has designed costumes as well as movies that have inspired and influenced his work such as ‘Falbalas’ the film that inspired him to become a designer.

Finishing up his interview, Gaultier addressed future designers, “I love that I get to do the work I love. If you have the passion it is worth it. If you truly love it you don’t feel like it is hard work”.

Gaultier added: “My first collection I did with no money, no sponsorship, I’m very proud I did it with no money. If you love it, no problem, if you just want to be known or be famous, maybe do something else.”

‘The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk’ is at the Barbican, EC2, until August 25.

Danielle Wightman-Stone

Images: Matthew Lloyd/Getty for Barbican