I Wanted Gaultier. I Got Spirit Halloween.
Duran Lantink’s Jean Paul Gaultier debut aimed for underground rebellion, but it felt like fast fashion in disguise.
Duran Lantink has just presented his debut collection for Jean Paul Gaultier at Paris Fashion Week, following his appointment as Creative Director of the fashion house in April 2025. With Jean Paul Gaultier being one of my favorite fashion houses, I went into this collection with hesitation. Since JPG’s retirement in 2020, we’ve seen a rotating guest designer model — but Lantink has broken that cycle. The idea of establishing a permanent creative director at JPG is daunting. There’s an extraordinary legacy to uphold. And based on this collection, it appears Lantink is struggling to do that.
Let’s get one thing straight: just because a piece pays homage to the archives doesn’t automatically make it good. It’s about execution — and this collection fell short in that department.
The inspirations were clear, starting from look one. Presenting such an obvious replica straight out of the gate was a questionable choice. Being the first garment of Lantink’s debut told me there was a lack of originality — that the goal wasn’t to bring a new perspective to the brand, but to produce cheap remakes. Look 1 called back to Jean Paul Gaultier’s Autumn/Winter 1984 “Barbès” collection. The original — a beautifully constructed orange velvet dress with a dramatic cone bra — was reimagined as a cheap-looking workout jumpsuit with a bizarre bra shape. It wasn’t cute.
A huge part of the Jean Paul Gaultier identity is the sailor — it’s iconic. So it’s no surprise that sailor motifs were plentiful here. But even this signature fell flat. While I liked the idea of Look 3 — a sailor hat-inspired dress with a skirt meant to resemble a hat — the Marinière stripes looked more fast fashion than classic JPG.
Bras were also central, as expected. The cone bra (which is having a major comeback) was made legendary by JPG’s design for Madonna’s 1991 Blond Ambition Tour. It appeared again — specifically in Look 42’s blue and white spiral design. But Lantink seemed intent on creating a “new” Gaultier bra: a silicone piece with two rounded cups connected by a narrow center was shown multiple times throughout the show. Once in white with navy stripes and again in white and orange, once in sterile hospital blue, and once designed to mimic a man’s chest — nipples and hair included. Beyond the questionable patterns, the silhouettes themselves were simply awkward.
And then there’s the piece everyone’s talking about: Look 6. The skin-tight, hairy jumpsuit. Nudity has always been part of Gaultier’s world, but it’s usually playful, provocative, and above all, tasteful. This, however, crossed the line. It looked like a Spirit Halloween costume — but with a penis. The nudity throughout the collection didn’t feel empowering or artistic. It felt unsettling.
That said, there were some redeeming moments. Look 7 — seemingly Marilyn Monroe “The Seven Year Itch” inspired — was surprisingly fabulous. The red and white striped two-piece in Look 16 had potential. Look 36’s reimagined sailor hat/baseball cap was one of the few pieces that channeled Gaultier’s legacy with genuine freshness. The black leather chaps in Look 40 were sexy and classic JPG-esque without feeling forced. And Look 48’s low-rise polka-dot pants with side cutouts were intriguing.
Still, much of the collection looked cheap. The orange fabric on Look 1 could’ve been pulled from a Target throw pillow, and I can’t even tell what the “naked” looks were made of. Spandex? Many looks appear, as if they took cues from the likes of ASOS and Fashion Nova — specifically the run from Look 22 to Look 39. For a house like Gaultier, this level of quality is unacceptable. Even the presentation fell short. Plenty of the models looked as if they had woken up late and got ready in a scramble (not in a chic way). Not to mention, none of the looks fit the model’s bodies — especially when it came to women. And specifically “in the crotch region,” according to fashion writer Mandy Lee (@oldloserinbrooklyn). Yikes.
Lantink cited inspiration from Gaultier’s Junior Gaultier line (1988–1994) and the spirit of Amsterdam’s legendary RoXY club — both known for youthful rebellion, sexual fluidity, and creative energy. But what was meant to celebrate freedom and underground culture instead came off as messy and disrespectful to that legacy.
Jean Paul Gaultier has always pushed boundaries, but never without intention. This collection confused shock with innovation. And while there were glimpses of promise, they were buried under gimmicks and poor craftsmanship. I wanted to see Gaultier’s fearless spirit reimagined — not rehashed. If this debut was meant to establish Lantink’s voice at the house, it left me questioning whether he understands what made Gaultier’s chaos so beautifully controlled in the first place.