Les Punks: A Tribute Collection to the Spirit of Jean-Paul Gaultier
Jean-Paul Gaultier revisits one of Madonna’s most controversial moments for its new collection
Gaultier fans can rejoice because the brand launched this morning, an in-house rental service that will allow the public to temporarily own pieces of the vast Gaultier archive. In addition, Jean-Paul Gaultier dropped a new, gender-less ready-to-wear collection. Their second line since JPG announced his retirement from the fashion world teases the kodes of fashion to celebrate neo-punks and freedom.
The new collection fittingly titled Les Punks,
“revisits the iconic punk aesthetic so dear to the fashion world’s Enfant Terrible,”
-according to an Instagram announcement from the brand.
The collection not only honors the very essence of the great French couturier but also captures the pop and 90’s accents of an iconic counter-cultural movement.
Gaultier’s ultimate muse, Madonna, is an obvious inspiration when scrolling through the site. There is striking tartan in all its possible forms, shredded knits and sheer fabrics, Mona Lisa and a healthy dose of leopard print. JPG has even reissued one of Madonna’s classic but controversial (for the ’90s) looks.
It is notably referred to as The Madone Trouser which is an extremely high-waisted wool blue, pinstripe trouser that culminates into a leather chest harness. The model on the site wears a JPG-branded tee with the trousers, however, true Gaultier x Madonna stans will know that this is a head nod to when Madonna debuted the Gaultier trousers back in 1992.
On Sept. 24, 1992, Madonna blessed the 6,000 people in the audience and the world at a Jean-Paul Gaultier fashion show benefit for the American Foundation for AIDS Research. Madonna joined her longtime friend, Gaultier, hand-in-hand and walked the runway wearing an oversized deep navy blue blazer atop a pin-stripe, lace-up skirt.
The Queen of Pop then ditched the blazer to reveal the high-waisted skirt and a leather chest harness that perfectly wrapped around her breasts.
The Madone Trousers clearly take inspiration from this iconic Gaultier look but unfortunately, the leather harness is not meant to be used as a breast holster, as Gaultier intended the line to be for every day wear.
Florence Tétier, the brand and creative director of Jean-Paul Gaultier, nods to fashion’s Enfant Terrible’s boundary-pushing taste and rebellious spirit and sprinkles in Madonna’s take on contemporary fashion.
This ready-to-wear collection is a reminder that Jean-Paul Gaultier will never forget its roots while still seducing his new generation of fashion enthusiasts.