After 50 years of leading the fashion industry, Jean Paul Gaultier presented his latest show to headline his namesake brand. Last year, the designer announced that the firm would return to fashion as each year a new creator would be invited to seize the Gaultier codes and reinterpret them in their own way in a haute couture collection.

Now, Sacai designer Chitose Abe becomes the first guest of this extraordinary collaboration. Paying homage to the legacy of the enfant terrible with a Japanese twist, the ideologies of the anti-fashion movement and street style are woven with Gaultier's rebellion to present the Fall/Winter 2021 Haute Couture collection.

Haute Couture Autumn / Winter 2021 Collection, Jean Paul Gaultier. Courtesy of Jean Paul Gaultier.

Abe presents her version of the Gaultier universe with 31 looks that have been refined to perfection. Classic French silhouettes are reinterpreted in a deconstructed way. The famous cone bra (famously worn by Madonna), style bomber jackets made of nylon khaki, and coats with clean cuts are transformed into dresses and corsets making a set of layers. Knitted or denim garments face oversized cuts with an avant-garde perspective that seamlessly translates to haute couture.

Haute Couture Autumn / Winter 2021 Collection, Jean Paul Gaultier. Courtesy of Jean Paul Gaultier.

The collection is marked by teamwork, Chitose Abe invited two more collaborators to give the final touch to the project. Pierre Hardy worked with her to introduce the new shoes in the collection, which included boots with exposed seams and long boots inspired by the collection's legendary corsets. On the other hand, the artist and tattoo artist Dr. Woo collaborated with a series of calligraphies and patterns that are repeated throughout the collection.

Haute Couture Autumn / Winter 2021 Collection, Jean Paul Gaultier. Courtesy of Jean Paul Gaultier.

Finally, the tribute to Gaultier's legacy is complemented by a series of ready-to-wear garments, a collaboration with Nike, and the relaunch of the perfume Smells Like Punk Spirit. Together, the collection launches a new era of Jean Paul Gaultier that reaffirms the impact the designer had on the fashion industry. Turning the French house that was always distinguished for its transgressive vision into a platform to boost creativity through collaboration.