Duran Lantink has managed to turn his signature strangeness into a mischievous force at Jean Paul Gaultier. His inflated bodies, extraterrestrial protrusions, and distorted silhouettes no longer read as one-off shock tactics, but rather as part of a broader vision for what the brand can become.

To truly appreciate it, you have to momentarily set aside everything you think you know about Gaultier and allow yourself to engage with Lantink’s methodology of seeing the bod – one that leans more toward the abstract than the figurative. He drew inspiration from the image of Marlene Dietrich holding a whip, which sparked the idea of “Madame Masculinity.” And when you think about it, is there anything more JPG?

Where Gaultier once disrupted the anatomical canon through hyper-corsetry, Lantink does so with conical shoulder lines and padded protuberances. There is a distinctly commanding presence in these constructed, almost alien postures. The former delighted in reworking the tropes of historical dress, and the latter pushes panniered forms to new extremes, creating gowns that appear to float through space, as if guided by an invisible puppeteer.

Lantink’s vision for the brand may not resonate with everyone, but it’s worth remembering that Gaultier himself was once scorned – and misunderstood – by critics. Today, he is a legend. Time will tell whether Duran’s ideas are ahead of their time.

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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