by Sean John - Online Saga Magazine - Saga Furs

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Jean Paul Gaultier’s
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“The creative side of this job is what I love. For me it is
not work, so I’m always designing at home or on vacation.
Here, at the office I don’t have the time for such
things - I do interviews, fittings and manage different
affairs,” says Jean Paul Gaultier. He beams a treacherous
smile as he sits on the sofa of his stunning headquarters
with white Christo-style wrapped furniture and
dress dolls in exquisite couture robes inspired by Hans
Christian Andersen’s fairytale, The Little Mermaid.
In the connecting room there are rows of fall pieces
with multiple themes in fur. When Mother Nature was
the prevailing theme during the Parisian fall collections,
the case was literal at Gaultier. Masses of Saga
Furs mink and fox adorned the catwalk in both his
women’s and men’s shows. The designer played with
volumes and contrasts by mixing long and short fur,
with a preference for natural skins and colours. Even
the fox of Jean de la Fontaine’s fables was the cause of
envy as a lush bag with its head, tail and claws intact.
“I have always used fur, even before I did my first
own collection, since I started in couture where they
used it all the time. At that time there were endless rows
of furriers in Paris and I bathed myself in it. I made a
collection for Chambert, who was an important furrier
in the Sixties and Seventies and we travelled to show
the furs to people such as the Shah of Iran. I worked
for Paul Rottenberg Vison, who specialized in mink in
all different sorts of aspects. So my learning was very
diverse,” tells Gaultier.
The French master began his collaboration with Saga
Furs with a visit to the Saga Design Centre 11 years
ago. The relationship between the two grew through
the years and Gaultier has trotted scores of pieces in
Saga Furs onto runways through the years.
Today, fur panels interlaced with chiffon are a part of
his signature style, shown as a pleated skirt, sleeves or
a jacket. The design theme is always integrated in the
fur – in his latest couture show Scottish tartan.
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Widely known as the enfant terrible of the fashion
world for his constant ability to challenge stereotypes,
Gaultier is also one of the last couturiers who learned
the craft from the great masters.
On his 18th birthday in 1970, Gaultier started as an
assistant at Pierre Cardin’s studio after having sent him
some sketches. Later, he worked at Jacques Esterel,
where he learned most of what would become his signature
style. He also assisted the couturier, Jean Patou
before starting his own label in 1976.