Sacai to design Jean Paul Gaultier's next couture collection

Japanese designer Chitose Abe will be the first in a rotating series of guest designers
Gio Staiano
Chloe Street5 March 2020

In the days before his spring 2020 couture show back in January, Jean Paul Gaultier took to social media to announce that the show would be his last.

After half a century in the fashion business, the French designer was hanging up his hat – but, as he said in the video he posted on twitter – Gaultier Paris the brand, would live on.

The fashion rumour mill quickly kicked into turbo drive with speculation of what this could mean.

On Wednesday, the brand revealed the new concept would involve Gaultier handing over the creative reins to a different designer each season.

In a move that seeks to capitalise on the success many brands have experienced with the guest designer concept, Gaultier plans each season to invite a different designer “to interpret the codes of the House and give the vision of the Haute Couture,” said the brand in a statement.

“The idea of different designers interpreting one Haute Couture brand came to me in the nineties for a Parisian Haute Couture House who found itself without a designer,” explains Jean Paul Gaultier. “I am pleased that this concept will become reality now with Chitose Abe of Sacai as the first guest designer. I admire her work, we have many things in common creatively and a similar vision of fashion. I am glad to give her the complete freedom.”

For Chitose Abe, whose brand Sacai released a phenomenally successful collaboration with Nike back in 2015 (which is ongoing), it presents an exciting opportunity to interpret the codes of the wild and wonderful world of Gaultier, and to benefit from his Parisian atelier’s industry-leading know-how.

“I have a long held admiration for Jean Paul's unique vision of subversive femininity and his originality, both of which I’ve strived towards in my work since the beginning. It’s a true honour to be given the opportunity to be custodian of his house as the first designer of this project,” said Chitose Abe in a statement.

With Sacai’s strength in subversive sportiness and graphic prints injected into the theatricality and irony of Gaultier, we are no doubt in for a treat.

Abe will present her Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2020 collection for the house of Gaultier in July 2020.

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