Haute Couture Week was full of newness: Kerby-Jean Raymond became the first Black designer to show on the official calendar and Demna Gvasalia presented the first couture collection at one of the original couture houses, Balenciaga, in 53 years. But it was also a return to the status quo in many other ways.
The fashion set reunited in Paris for the first time in over a year to watch models in the latest exquisite hand-made offerings at Chanel, Armani Privé, Dior, and more IRL. There were seated dinners, street style, and front rows.
One label that is committed to keeping it fresh in one very particular way is Jean Paul Gaultier. Following the announcement of his retirement after 50 years in fashion in a rather cryptic Instagram post in January 2020, Gaultier revealed that his label would live on via seasonal collaborations.
First up is a revelatory partnership with Sacai’s Chitose Abe, who applied her signature splicing approach to many of Gaultier’s signatures.
