PARIS, France — Jean Paul Gaultier says he’s leaving the runway for good. Today, the designer announced that his upcoming couture show, set to take place on January 22 during the Paris shows, would be his last, hinting that he is working on a new project to be announced soon.
The 67-year-old designer added that Gaultier Paris, his haute-couture label, “will go on,” and that he will continue to lead the brand.
This show celebrating 50 years of my career will also be my last. But rest assured Haute Couture will continue with a new concept. pic.twitter.com/PJCC53K4tm
In 2014, Gaultier dissolved his ready-to-wear label in order to focus on couture and collaborations, citing the hamster-wheel pace and aesthetic constraints of mass-produced collections.
Three years earlier, Spanish beauty and fashion conglomerate Puig acquired a majority stake in the company. Puig also owns and operates Gaultier’s fragrance business. Hermès previously had a 45 percent stake in the company, where Gaultier also worked as creative director for seven years before exiting in 2010.
Known as the “enfant terrible” of French fashion, Gaultier launched his business in 1982 and introduced his couture collection in 1997.
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