Analysis of Jean Paul Gaultier as a Fashion Designer

Student
Professor
Course
Date
Analysis of Jean Paul Gaultier as a Fashion Designer
Introduction
Art, culture, and fashion are closely intertwined in every single society. Fashion is an all-encompassing force extending from representing a person’s social identity to their social integration (Agawu-Kakraba 23). This paper sets out to analyze the works of a renowned fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier born in 1952 in France. Gaultier came with an inborn tendency to fashion designing, and following a succession of apprentices, he took his craft to a prominent level. The designer had a stunning ability to convert his hand-drawn sketches into eye-grabbing dress designs. Key highlights of his creativity include flowing skirts, multiple types of trench coats, patterned stockings, baggy pants, and broad-shouldered jackets (Kennedy et al. 310). Gaultier was fond of dark colors along with bronze, salmon, and turquoise. The artist has taken inspiration from his surroundings to create designs that resonate with his target audience. Marked consistency features his designs, while astrology, religion, and cultural associations underpin his innovative ideas.
Culture and Creativity
As the argument goes, creativity has its roots in the culture where it originates. The argument holds when it comes to the chosen fashion designer as most of his revolutionary ideas have traces of cultural association. The influence of his city is evident in Gaultier’s designs. From high-rise monuments such as Eiffel Tower to the quest for liberty, everything characterizes his work. His flowing skirts symbolize feminism that gained massive momentum in Paris during his time (Steele 353). In this way, it is logical to conclude that his surroundings have a central contribution towards constructing his imagination.
Gaultier debuted when androgyny was gaining momentum in France and neighboring countries. The designers tended to see the line between genders blurring. This non-discriminative approach also featured Gaultier’s work as androgyny has been among his focal areas. There was a prominent consistency in his approach to men’s and women’s wardrobes. He was mindful of the emerging trend where men and women were willingly engaged in cross-gender choices. This aspect reflects in the designs created by him. Androgyny was one of his most preferred themes. Gaultier produced skirts for men and stockings and jackets for women to show his disregard for the sexual nuances (Kennedy et al. 311). An image helps illustrate this approach:
(Schmidt)
The image is a clear androgenic depiction of the model wearing a sleeveless flowing skirt that gives his lower part a feminine look contrasted by the makeup of his face, where the thin beard accentuates masculinity. The purpose is to display the wholeness and consistency of the designer’s art.
Besides, religion was the linchpin of norms and traditions in France during his time. Religion in France and some other parts of Europe drew support from Astrology. The concepts of Astrology also lie at the bottom of his imagination. An example of the interface between Astrology and fashion designing, made possible by Gaultier, is shown below:
(Poshmark)
The shirt named Zodiac Vintage Top fitting men and women consistently features the symbols of 12 stars. In the center are hieroglyphs adding to its sense of enigma and mystery. The success of these experiments and the swarming of Gaultier’s mind with similar ideas is evidence of how creativity draws its influence from the culture. Another of his famous designs showing his Astrological associations is visualized below (a shirt with the sign of cancer printed):
(eBay)
The cultural elements within an artist’s work have two significant functions. Firstly, they resonate with the majority that becomes the primary source of success and admiration. Secondly, it facilitates artists' cues upon which they base their imagination and come up with masterpiece after masterpiece.
Use of Color, Texture, and Style to Communicate the Designer’s Values
A few of the examples of Gaultier has communicated his social values through fashion are provided in earlier parts of the discussion. This section is dedicated to further such motifs. As mentioned before, androgyny has been one of the most dominant themes in Gaultier’s art. His subtle mix of colors helped him advance that theme and communicate the value of gender equality or a non-discriminative approach to genders. An example is shown below:
(Pinterest)
The picture taken from a catwalk show is the depiction of a blend that makes a dress suited to every individual irrespective of sexual nuances. Black baggy pant matched by black shows and elbow-length gloves inflected by the patterned light color shirt is a consistent fit. The upper part of the design is identical with women while the lower one with men.
The design is also rich with elements that appeal to the tendencies of a complex society, as in Simmel’s model (Barnard 13). It shows how a sense of social integration and isolation co-exist and thereby encourage the adoption of a fashion. If a man or woman wears, they will show their willingness to join the community, showing reluctance to gender-coding. On the other hand, a desire to deviate from the traditions also leads to such adoption. In this way, it is a complex combination of the desire to sustain a social identity and the desire to maintain distance from the mainstream. The blend of these elements is essential to promote fashion.
Besides, the religious origins of Gaultier’s inspiration continue to reflect in his stunning ideas. An image below sheds light on these inspirations:
(Mower)