PHABRIK Magazine

An Invitation into the Fashion + Graphic Design of Jean Paul Gaultier

By João Paulo Nunes

September 2014
In the intimate spaces of the Fashion Space Gallery, a short walk away from Oxford Circus in central London, the exhibition ‘Jean Paul Gaultier: Be My Guest’ is on display. This exhibit is the first presentation to ever feature the French couturier’s graphic design work. Considerably smaller in scale than ‘The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the sidewalk to the catwalk’ being shown a few miles east at the much larger Barbican Art Gallery, this compact exhibition features approximately sixty examples of printed invitations to runway shows and parties, as well as advertising images conceived by Gaultier himself. It is a rare opportunity to have a glimpse into the creative mind of one of the most famous and prolific fashion designers in history.

Items on display include a crudely designed invitation to the presentation of his first women’s ready-to-wear collection for Spring/Summer 1977, graphics produced in the late eighties influenced by Russian Constructivism and Dadaism, photographs used in the advertising campaign for his women’s and men’s collections for Spring/Summer 1989, and promotional imagery for his iconic ‘Tribute to Frida Kahlo’ collection for Spring/Summer 1998.


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