PARIS, Jul 2, 2004/ FW/ --- Considered the crowned king of French fashion since the retirement of Yves Saint Laurent, Jean Paul Gaultier was once nicknamed the 'Enfant Terrible' because of his penchant in challenging the then standard views of fashion by reworking them and infusing ideas of his own.

Starting his career in 1970 at age 18 as an assistant to Pierre Cardin, he learned that in fashion, there is no limits and everything is possible, which became his way to create.

His first foray in his own was a collection of electronic jewelry launched in 1976. During that same year in October, he launched his own collection under his name, displaying woven straw "tablemat" vest and dresses.

Gaining the nickname 'enfant terrible dela mode' probably because he always wants his clothes worn in a haphazard, rackety way, Jean Paul Gaultier would also recruit models off the street or among his friends, instead of using professional catwalkers during those early days of his career.

Fusing French elegance with current cultural even religous views of the day in his creations, the French-born designer would also mix the sexes, resulting into androgynous looks that is uniquely Jean-Paul Gaultier's.

The titles of his collections are also provocative and became key dates in fashion. Examples are High Tech (1980) featuring tin can jewels; Dadism (1983) corsets; Barbes (1985) cross breeding and culture shocks; A Wardrobe for Two (1985) androgynism; Untitled Collection (1987) constructivism; The Conceirge Is In The Staircase (1988) Parisian masculine feminine; The Chics Rabbi (1993) homage to the Jewish people; The Tatooings (1994) romanticism and spirituality.

In 1997, he entered the sphere of high fashion when he launched his first haute couture collection and became a full member of the Chambre Syndicale dela Haute Couture.

Already well-known in the fashion world, he became a household word in the U.S. when he designed the costumes for Bruce Willis and Milla Vulkovich in the movie "The Fifth Element" in 1995.

He also dressed Madonna for two of her world tours, "Blond Ambition" and "Drowned."

In 2004, he was appointed the Artistic Director for the women's collection Hermes and also opened an exhibit at the Cartier Foundation.

Spring 2007 Photo by: Giovanni Pucci

Spring 2008 Photo by: Giovanni Pucci

Website:www.jpgaultier.fr

To view Gaultier² and Gaultier Homme runway shows, please click here.

JEAN-PAUL GAULTIER
30, rue Saint Martin
75003 Paris
FRANCE

Press Contact:
Lionel VERMEIL
Tel: (+33)1 44 68 85 05
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