Inspirations from Jean Paul Gaultier exhibit

We went to the Brooklyn Museum yesterday to check out the special exhibition of Jean Paul Gautier’s work.

It was an inspiring exhibit.

There were 3 things that left strong impression in my mind:

  1. The story of his career. He started his own label in mid 30’s encouraged by his partner/lover Francis Menuge. Since he didn’t have money to produce his first show, he ended up using materials he bought at flea market. He ended up liking this and mixing different materials and styles from different origins became his “style”.
  2. Fashion as spectacle. This was probably the most inspiring thing from the exhibit because it’s so evident as we experienced the show. Gaultier saw fashion show as a spectacle with its own soundtrack. This made him work with different types of models and more importantly to play with new concepts and ideas. He set himself apart by setting his own rules based on his strength.
  3. Fashion as self-expression. He combines influences from various cultures (i.e. punk, Orthodox Jew, etc.) skillfully to create beautiful wearable sculptures. This resonates with what we do with body painting as a way to empower others to express their stories.

Below are some images from the show to tease you. Go check it out.

From instagram @denartny