From Muriel’s Wedding, to Madonna, Jean Paul Gaultier touches on many muses when introducing his breathtaking exhibition ‘The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From Sidewalk to Catwalk’. Staged at the National Gallery of Victoria until February 2015, the exhibition showcases Jean Paul Gaultier’s superbly crafted haute couture, ready-to-wear and red carpet fashion in an Asia-Pacific exclusive.
Including life-size – disarmingly lifelike – animated mannequins (one of which is in Gaultier himself guise, greeting visitors at the entrance) the exhibition is an extraordinary snapshot into the evolution of this fashion revolutionary. From his introduction by his paternal grandmother – a beauty consultant and hypnotist – to the world of Paris fashion, notably through the film Falbalas (1945) – which showcases designs by Marcel Rochas – through to his first job in Paris with Pierre Cardin at the age of 18, Jean Paul’s career trajectory is peppered with accolades, awards and culturally defining moments.
In 1976 he established his Pret-a-Porter label and won Designer of the Year Award at the Oscars De La Mode in 1987 before gaining mainstream infamy as the designer of over 150 costumes for Madonna’s Blond Ambition Tour in 1990 and receiving a Chevalier of the Order of the Legion of Honor in France in 2001.
Here, the 62-year old talks candidly about his Australian muses, his aversion to the norm and the girl in the schoolyard who first piqued his desire to design non conforming fashion. Jean Paul Gaultier on Australia;
Preparing this exhibition I have realised how strong my ties to Australia are – Nicole Kidman was my first couture client; Kylie is a dear friend and I have had the pleasure of working closely with her on her tours. I have also been working for many years with models Gemma Ward, Catherine McNeil, Jarrod Scott, and the list goes on. The people are what make this country great and you Australians excel! I am very pleased to be here. It is a beautiful. I love the food, all the people that love the food, as much must be good people!
Jean Paul Gaultier on Kylie Minogue: I met her in the early 90s and she is always the same. She was a beautiful human. She is still a beautiful human. She is fantastic! She is like so sweet, so human, so incredibly human and so nice. She’s was absolutely exquisitely talented and a great ambassador for Australia.
Jean Paul Gaultier on Unusual Beauty: I was at ten years old I saw one girl and she was like this red red, red, red hair, like very red and pale skin you could see the veins and I thought she was fantastic! I always liked the difference. When I started back in the 70s the models were very Swedish. Very blonde. I wanted completely different so I found a modern girl from the north of Africa. With an attitude! Why do you want a new Kate Moss? She is fabulous, but we can bring something else.
Why have two Kates?
Jean Paul Gaultier on Muriel’s Wedding: I love that movie. Australian’s love ABBA – which I love! Jean Paul Gaultier on Andreja Pejićs gender transition surgery:
She is of course the best ambassador. It is good and important to speak about Andreja and for people to be themselves and accept themselves.
Jean Paul Gaultier on feeling different as a child: “I will give you an example when I was shy at school and I was absolutely rejected. I was not good at football etcetera. One day I sketched the girl with a full bare chest and fishnet stockings and the teacher put my sketch on my back to humiliate me. After that, all the boys smiled at me. They wanted me to make sketches for them! Creativity was my passport.
Jean Paul Gaultier on Love: By doing my work, I have love. In reality we are all looking for love, so I have love and Andreja Pejić has love because of her beauty, intelligence and her elegance. We have love for the fact that we are who we are.
Jean Paul Gaultier on using animated mannequins: At the beginning (of my career) people were saying if you are a beautiful woman you don’t know how to speak. I wanted to show in reality all those beautiful women can also speak.
Jean Paul Gaultier on movies and Eurovision: You are the only ones in the world – not European – that love Eurovision. I love it too! And in Muriel’s Wedding, ABBA, I love it. I love cinema. It’s a very fresh beautiful aesthetic and especially Baz Luhrmann. I find some scenes of his like very couture. Always like very happy and funny and beautiful in the same way.
The Jean Paul Gaultier exhibiton is now on at the National Gallery Victoria October 17th 2014 – February 8th 201.