With no formal fashion education to boast of, Jean Paul Gaultier established himself in the 70s and 80s as the “enfant terrible" of French fashion. His irreverent style left nothing sacred, dancing over the standard guard rails of high-fashion — he played with gender roles, adorning men in skirts decades before others opted to, and allowed plus sized women and older men to grace his runways. His talent was undeniable, though his utilization of such gifts made him a fiercely divisive designer. While often ripped by the French press, he gained the hearts of numerous subversive, forward-thinking icons, including Madonna and Marilyn Manson, both whom he conceptualized tour wardrobes for.

Throughout his career, Jean Paul Gaultier was always prescient in championing taboo and maligned parts of society. We can see it expressed in with his early adoptions of heavy metal imagery, during an era when public backlash against Marilyn Manson was reaching a fervor, and more powerfully with his attempts to call public awareness to the AIDS epidemic, which claimed Gaultier’s longtime lover Francis Menuge. It’s logical that he would have appreciated graffiti as an artistic medium long before the general public. While it was a key visual aesthetic of the ‘90s, both as a method of art and rebellion, it was often looked down upon by the art world and general public due to its genesis outside the upper-crust of society. Gaultier employed graffiti prints numerous times during his career, including on this soft cotton button down, which cuts a casual silhouette with its light-weight and relaxed cut.

Condition: 9/10. No significant flaws. 

Tagged size: L

Shoulder: 20.5in

Pit to pit: 25in

Length: 32in

Sleeve: 24in