Jean Paul Gaultier
Born:-04/24/1952Fashion designer, known for his anti-establishment bent, pioneered the use of undergarments as outerwear (for instance, with Madonna's "Blonde Ambition" tour)
The name Jean-Paul Gaultier is synonymous with unconventionality and clothes from this French designer are not for the faint-hearted! His avant-garde creations have redefined traditional concepts of masculinity and femininity and even attempt to 'reconstruct' the human form.
Gaultier gained his early design experience with Pierre Cardin, Jaques Esterel and Jean Patou, but felt restricted by the world of haute couture, so he went freelance. In 1976, at the age of just 22, he presented his first collection. Success came when Kashiyama, a Japanese fashion company looking for a designer, took him on board. This gave his subsequent collections the credibility they needed: his fifth show was a huge success, and captulated him to the top of the fashion world.
