Demand For Vintage Jean Paul Gaultier Is On The Rise

Could there be a more fitting way to pay homage to Jean Paul Gaultier as he bids farewell to couture than by wearing his vintage threads? Bella Hadid thinks not. On the eve of his final show in Paris, Hadid exited the revolving door of Hotel Le Royal Monceau wearing a vintage Jean Paul Gaultier denim crop top embellished with safety pins.

Taken from Gaultier’s Jeans collection, the ’90s piece, a favourite decade for the model, was accentuated in a casual way that only Hadid knows how to pull off. She wore an oversized denim blazer shrugged over her shoulders, beige low-slung jeans with stitched seams on show, and a multicoloured hat reminiscent of musicians from the era.

Hadid is not the only one who has been browsing archive Jean Paul Gaultier. According to Vestiaire Collective, sales for the French label grew by 40 per cent in 2019 in comparison to 2018. Searches, meanwhile, for Jean Paul Gaultier grew by 187 per cent in 2019.

Aside from Hadid and his other loyal supporters, Gaultier has one woman he wants to dress: “Queen Elizabeth,” Gaultier once told British Vogue. “When we talk about speaking through our clothes, she’s doing it. Look at the jewellery she wore for Donald Trump coming. She’s a very smart woman. Smart people, yes, they’re the most interesting to dress.”

For Gaultier, who has been a firm fixture on the couture schedule since 1997, waving a fond farewell to couture might be the right personal move, but our desire, as Hadid proves, for his designs still goes on.