Jean Paul Gaultier by Duran Lantink: when experiment fails to deliver the magic
Deconstructing the hype: how Gaultier codes got lost in translation at FW26 Paris Fashion Week
At Fall/Winter 2026 Paris Fashion Week, Jean Paul Gaultier by Duran Lantink provoked mixed reactions. Some welcomed its playful spirit, while others raised harsher criticisms about its wearability.
The collection felt more like a pure exploration of creativity and technical possibilities. It reiterated several of Gaultier’s iconic concepts — masculine and feminine codes (what we now call genderless fashion), underwear as outerwear, sporty chic, and tattoo imagery. Yet, despite these nods, Lantink’s interpretation marked a clear departure from the brand’s traditional aesthetic.
To be fair, this FW26 collection appeared more resolved than Lantink’s first attempt. Still, the clothes didn’t feel like Gaultier. Instead of channelling the brand’s distinctive magic, the designer seemed to prioritise his own chaotic vision.
But what happens when the experiment fails to deliver the magic?
An experiment without the magic: Jean Paul Gaultier by Duran Lantink
Lantink proposed heavily exaggerated and distorted silhouettes: raised shoulders floating far away from the body, abstract S-shaped figures with jutting breasts and derrières. The result was sculptural, almost architectural — but also highly restrictive. (Watch the show here).
While some praised the collection as art or celebrated its playfulness, most pieces felt futuristic to the point of impracticality. They were statements, rather than garments meant to be worn.
And this is where the comparison with Gaultier becomes unavoidable.
Jean Paul Gaultier is the designer who taught us so much about fashion. Many of the concepts that are now widely celebrated — gender fluidity, the transformation of underwear into outerwear, the playful mixing of cultural references — were introduced by him forty years ago.
We remember it well. When we were young, we bought his clothes. Men’s or women’s, it didn’t matter to us. And we still have them in our wardrobe; they are perfect and even fashion-forward now. (Which raises another point: the most sustainable clothing is that which you never throw away — yet designers who focus solely on sustainability rarely achieve this kind of durability or appeal.) Later, we also curated Gaultier pieces for our boutique. His designs carried a particular energy — beauty, humour, and a certain magic. Yes, Gaultier could be strange. But even in its strangeness, his fashion remained wearable.
It’s impossible to say the same about Lantink’s pieces.
Which raises a broader question: this constant urge to reinvent, to shock, to create something radically new— where does it lead?
Final reflections
Ultimately, Jean Paul Gaultier by Duran Lantink felt more like an exploration of boundaries than a fashion collection. But when experimentation fails to deliver the magic, what remains? A display of creativity from which nothing survives beyond the runway.
So we are left wondering: is Paris Fashion Week becoming a stage for unwearable clothes?
Of course, some brands have built their identity on that very idea — fashion as pure spectacle. But Gaultier was never one of them. His magic lived in the tension between fantasy and wearability.
Which leads to a more uncomfortable question: what’s the point of it in a world where nobody wants to buy well-made garments anymore?
A theatre piece with no purpose?
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