How I Accidentally Fell Down This Rabbit Hole
Okay, so last Tuesday night, I was aimlessly scrolling on my phone way past bedtime. You know how it is. One minute you’re checking cat memes, the next thing you know, some fancy glittery outfit pops up tagged Jean Paul Gaultier. I kinda recognized the name? Maybe that weird striped shirt from old movies? Curiosity got me. Hit up the search bar.
Going From “Huh?” to “Holy Smokes!”
Started with just the basics – who was this Gaultier guy anyway? Found videos. Old runway stuff. It was nuts! People wearing traffic cones for bras? Sailor stripes everywhere? Way more interesting than my feed usually is. Then I saw this name kept popping up recently: Julien Dossena. Wait, isn’t Gaultier retired? Why’s his brand still doing stuff?
Turns out, that’s where the Creative Director thing comes in. Gaultier himself stepped back, but they hired new folks to basically steer the ship. Specifically, this Dossena guy took over a while ago. My brain went: How does one person jump into such a legendary place and not just… disappear? How do you even start?
My Messy Investigation Process
I got obsessed. Ended up spending, like, three whole evenings digging:
- Watched tons of videos showing the new stuff Dossena designed compared to the old Gaultier classics.
- Read interviews where he literally said things like: “Respect the heritage, but look forward, not back.” Bold!
- Saw him bring back famous cone bras, sure, but made them fresh – paired ’em with slouchy pants instead of skirts, different fabrics.
- Noticed he started showing women’s collections right after men’s sometimes. Broke the old calendar rules. Mixing it all up!
The Big Lightbulb Moment
It hit me: This Dossena dude wasn’t just copying the past. He was doing something really clever. He grabbed the most iconic, recognizable parts of Gaultier – the playful vibe, the fearless sexuality, the nautical stripes, the cone shape – but twisted them for today.
Like, he used the same spirit but poured it into clothes people actually wanna wear now: chunkier heels, easier fabrics, less super-structured stuff sometimes. He made the wildness feel a bit more… approachable? Still absolutely Gaultier, though. No mistaking it.
Found old articles moaning about whether anyone could follow Gaultier. Now? The brand feels alive, relevant, buzzing. That’s massive. Taking a sleeping giant and waking it up, making people excited again? Big deal. Changed the story from “remember when…” to “check out what they did now!”.
What Stuck With Me Afterwards
Honestly? It blew my mind how someone stepping into such huge shoes (metaphorically!) actually did it. Didn’t try to be Gaultier. Didn’t throw all the old stuff away either. Respect + Reinvention. Used the brand’s own language, but spoke it in a modern accent. Saved the history while dragging it into the future.
Made me think about legacy versus stagnation, you know? Crazy. All this from avoiding sleep checking cat memes.
