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Jean Paul Gaultier

Basic information

Country
France
Founded
1976

Overview

Jean Paul Gaultier is a fashion house founded in Paris, France, in 1976 by designer Jean Paul Gaultier. Its main offerings include haute couture, ready-to-wear, accessories, and fragrances, which it launched in 1993. Its work is centered on motifs such as corsets and marinières (stripes), and on designs that are not confined by gender.

Concept

A Parisian paradox–fusing tropes of French style with a distinct rebel spirit, couture quality with street smart, shock with chic.

Sub-brands

  • Jean Paul Gaultier Maille Femme 1976

    One of the derivative labels of Jean Paul Gaultier, this line can also be identified on product labels as “Jean Paul / Gaultier / Maille / Femme.” Centered on the “Maille” category, including knitwear and mesh, it served to connect the main offering, starting from the materials category, to everyday items. It is also sometimes listed as one of the diffusion lines.

    A derivative line specializing in knitwear/mesh

  • Junior Gaultier 1988

    A diffusion line derived from Jean Paul Gaultier’s main collection, launched in 1988 to broaden its reach among younger customers. It retained the maison’s codes, such as marinière stripes and body-conscious designs, while offering collections more readily suited to everyday wardrobes. Its final collection was for 1994–95, after which it was replaced by JPG by Gaultier.

    A diffusion line that broadened the brand’s reach among younger customers

  • Gaultier Jeans 1992

    A diffusion line launched in 1992 with denim at its core. Retaining the main line’s ideas, it offered a range of items with stronger streetwear elements and served as one of the central components of Jean Paul Gaultier’s diffusion-line strategy. From 2004, it later transitioned to the successor name Jean's Paul Gaultier, updating its positioning as a line name.

    A diffusion line expanding around denim

  • JPG by Gaultier 1994

    Introduced in 1994 after Junior Gaultier ended, this was a successor unisex collection and an offshoot line. It was positioned to develop Jean Paul Gaultier’s consistent challenge to fixed ideas about gender in a more casual direction. The name was also used in the runway RTW context, serving to present the main brand world through a different entry point.

    An offshoot RTW line for unisex proposals

  • Jean Paul Gaultier Soleil 1994

    A derivative line recognized as one of the diffusion lines developed by Jean Paul Gaultier. It brought distinctive materials, particularly mesh, into everyday wear through pieces such as body-hugging tops and dresses, serving to broaden the main line’s designs as an “easy-to-wear entry point.” Fashion media have also referred to it as the “Soleil line.”

    A diffusion line focused on mesh expression

  • Jean's Paul Gaultier 2004

    The name of a derivative line used from 2004 to 2008 as the successor to Gaultier Jeans. Centered on denim and a street-inspired approach, it served to connect Jean Paul Gaultier’s codes to a range of more everyday items. Within the house, it is positioned as one of the “lines that broaden the base,” alongside Junior, JPG by Gaultier, and Soleil.

    Successor line to the Jeans-related derivative name

  • Gaultier Puissance 2 2005

    A name for a diffusion line coined in 2006 from the idea of offering women men’s basic clothing, such as trench coats, pea coats, and nautical knitwear. The line’s role was to present Jean Paul Gaultier’s ongoing crossing of gender boundaries through the editing of a basic wardrobe, positioning it among the diffusion lines closer to a reinterpretation of classics.

    A line that makes classic pieces genderless