Jean Paul Gaultier's Tattoo Collection Honors Its Archive
The enfant terrible of Parisian fashion, Jean Paul Gaultier shocked and excited audiences with his SS'94 'Les Tatouages' collection which debuted his sheer tops with tattoo-like decorations.
Now, almost 30 years on, the concept remains almost every bit as provocative (and popular) as ever.
The vintage market for its most coveted sheer pieces is booming, thanks in large part to celebrities from Ice Spice to Bad Bunny getting in on the archive action. And, in response, the brand has been re-issuing its old pieces.
The latest of those sees it get as playful as it always has been with its see-through mesh.
Gaultier’s “TATTOO” collection, which is available to shop now on the brand's website (with select pieces available at the Highsnobiety Shop), rehashes designs from the past to create a wardrobe designed to be worn "from office to club," — according to the brand.
The collection is a mishmash of the best bits from the archives, including the ‘Safe Sex Forever’ tattoo slogan from 1996 alongside everything from depictions of bodies in the nude to sailor-style stripes.
And the focus on the past doesn't end with the clothing, as Omahyra Mota and Mia Kidis model in its campaign recreating imagery from JPG's Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2002 runway.
With Jean Paul having stepped down from his eponymous brand in 2020, this new collection comes courtesy of creative director Florence Tétier as she continues paying respect to the brand's boundary-pushing founder. And there's no better way to honor the designer than with bold mesh clothing.
