A Masterclass in Couture: Jean Paul Gaultier by Haider Ackermann
Haider Ackermann delves into the Jean Paul Gaultier archives for his first haute couture collection and a long-awaited return to the Parisian runways.
The last time Haider Ackermann held a runway collection in Paris was before the pandemic. Since then, the brand’s status has been up in the air (his official website has an error message, and Tim Blanks recently wrote in BoF: “it was coincident with [Haider Ackermann] regaining the rights to his name after a difficult legal dispute”).
But ‘tis is no matter for the Colombian-born designer; he’s been keeping himself busy the past few years fashioning jaw-dropping red carpet looks for his friends Timothée Chalamet and Tilda Swinton.
Today formally marked the return of Haider Ackermann into the Parisian fashion scene. After much speculating about who would be the next lucky designer to delve into his archives, Jean Paul Gaultier announced in September that the fourth designer is Haider Ackermann. Suffice it to say, there’s no better way one could return back into the fold.
Immaculate tailoring has always been the hallmark of Haider Ackermann’s design practice. For years, his eponymous ready-to-wear line felt like his couture-suiting audition. Minimalistic, asymmetrical, and clean-cut lines at the beginning of the collection are enthralling.
Continuing with the weaving accents on the suit’s upper waist and torso is a more vivid and pronounced usage of the 2010 collection of Jean Paul Gaultier intertwining dresses. The variety of plaits is refined, intricate, and complimentary of the diverse silhouettes without becoming too overbearing.
Feathers. Feathers. And even more feathers! But these aren’t your cutesy neighborhood baby birds. Fierce and pronounced feathers à la Natalie Portman in Black Swan could very well poke someone’s eye out. As always, it’s all in the little details. From afar, much can be viewed as simplistic, but the painstaking details become blatantly apparent once you get close enough to marvel.
Speaking of poking your eyes out, Vanessa Friedman noted on Twitter: “The fuzzy silver quills are actually hundreds of straight pins.” With many movies slated to come out in the next year, Timothée Chalamet has likely already called first dibs on the golden pins overcoat (or some custom version; being close personal BFFs with a designer certainly has its perks!).
In perhaps a yearning for earlier design times, Haider Ackermann traveled back—not only through Jean Paul Gaultier’s four decades body of work—but back to the early 1960s couturier days. Keeping it smart, concise, elevated, and to the point, Haider Ackermann’s made an ethereal collection with just 36 looks (a rarity nowadays, as other Maisons are increasing their number of looks).
No one seemed happier with this latest homage to Jean Paul Gaultier than Jean Paul Gaultier himself, who had an enormous smile on his face the entire time. He embraced Haider Ackermann in awe and love (he truly is a designer’s designer!) and then the two ran the runway to take their bow like two giddy schoolchildren.
Over four months, Haider Ackermann painstakingly married the two designers’ work, striking a balance between the two design philosophies. Especially when the pair on paper couldn't be more different: Jean Paul Gaultier is famously over the top and unconventional meanwhile Haider Ackermann is the ever-elegant yet dynamic minimalist.
I can’t help but wonder why it has taken the industry this long to allow Haider Ackermann to showcase his clear love of craftsmanship and master couturier skills on a larger scale. However, the question of his permanent return to the runway, whether at his namesake or other enterprises, such as the vacant seats at Gucci or Louis Vuitton, is another mystery that has yet to be unveiled…