Analysis of Jean Paul Gaultier as a Fashion Designer

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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 T...