A glorious line-up of characters forms the cast of creative director Duran Lantink’s second collection for Jean Paul Gaultier Autumn/Winter 2026/27.

Who are they? Have we seen them before? What’s their role today? Some could be a detective, a cowboy, a raver, a steampunk figure or a banker on Fifth Avenue in an exquisitely tailored coat with sloping shoulders. Others appear as smashing femme fatales, perhaps she just got out of bed. They all meet in a collection where tailoring, sportswear, elegance and disruption come together.

This season’s story started with a cherished vintage garment of Lantink’s, a mesh T-shirt with the face of Marlene Dietrich on it. The legendary actor (1901–1992) was, of course, a master in subverting clichés. As artist Jean Cocteau famously joked, “Her name starts with a caress and ends with a whip.” Her aura was sweet and dominant, sexy and graceful, the ultimate hybrid.

It’s a spirit that suits the House of Gaultier, a place where the world is perpetually turned upside down. Feminine and masculine, inside out, vintage and new, underwear as outerwear, technical and tailored all at once. The appearance of Dietrich on Lantink’s moodboard opened the door for all the other characters to join the show. Dietrich herself returns throughout the collection, appearing once again, smoking, on a dress. Let’s play.

One thing that struck Lantink while exploring the archive is how some key pieces seemed to be missing. And indeed, Gaultier never shied away from revisiting old designs, cutting them up and repurposing them for new collections, like actors ready for a new role.

It’s an approach after Lantink’s heart. For years he made fashion out of existing garments, transforming racks full

of clothes including past designer collections supplied by friendly retailers, vintage finds and even his own wardrobe into entirely new fashions. Everything was permitted, nothing would be safe for the sake of creation.

“There were times when I had no clothes left to wear,” remembers Lantink.

This spirit of transformation runs throughout the collection. Lantink fell for the gathered waist of a pinstripe suit from the Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2016 collection Le Palace, developing it into a series of sculptural tailoring experiments. A Gaultier cropped bomber first seen in 1985, 1988 and 2002 returns almost untouched, while Fair Isle knits originally seen in Autumn/Winter 1990 reappear as body tight base layers. Elsewhere, rubber car tires are morphed into accessories and a wooden puppet recalls Les Marionnettes from Autumn/Winter 2004. Pleated jersey dresses bring an extraordinary bounce to the silhouette.

At their regular lunch dates, Mr. Gaultier and Mr. Lantink often talk about cinema. They’re also intrigued by the ambitions of Futurism. Mr. Gaultier began his career as Pierre Cardin’s assistant, fashion’s great Futurist who excelled in reshaping the body through design. Nothing seemed too bizarre for Cardin (1922–2020), his sculptural imagination not unlike Lantink’s love for shape and form.

Monsieur Gaultier once told his successor about scoring a jacket at the flea market, turning it inside out and loving the lining so much that he preferred the garment that way.

The feeling of freedom to live, to work, to make love, to design and to get dressed requires the desire and determination to play. Always.

CREDITS

Creative Direction / Duran Lantink @duranlantinkyo

Styling / Jodie Barnes @jodieabarnes

Casting Direction / DM Casting @piergiorgio & @dmcasting

Image Direction / Jop Van Bennekom @studiojopvanbennekom

Hair / Holli Smith @hollismithhead using COSRX @rave_artcompany

Makeup / Thomas De Kluyver @thomasdekluyver using Byredo @officialbyredo

Skin / Thomas De Kluyver @thomasdekluyver using Dr. Barbara Sturm @drbarbarasturm

Nails / Lora de Sousa @loradesousa

Show production / Kitty Events @kitty_events

PR / Lucien Pages @lucienpagescommunication

Sound design / Frédéric Sanchez @frederic_sanchez

Copywriting / Gert Jonkers @gertjonkers

Show Video / Bureau Future @bureaufuture

First looks Photographer / Mark Borthwick @mark_borthwick

Fittings Photographer / Abel Minnée @abelminnee

Fittings / Global Show Report Videographer / Christo Roussev @christoroussev

Runway Photographer / Yannis Vlamos @yannisvlamos

BTS / Backstage / Patrick Bienert @patrick_bienert

BTS / Backstage & Beauty / Jean Marques @mrqs.jean

FOH Photographer / Raphaël Chatelain @raphaelchatelain