What happens when you feel comfortable on the runway? When you enjoy what you do and create a legacy for being a self-taught couturier who combines admiration and fun in every Fashion Week? Jean Paul Gaultier celebrates his birthday today, and in commemoration of his legendary status, we present a small tribute.

“If I can, you can” is one of the most mentioned phrases across all industries. Jean Paul Gaultier proved that you don't need a specific fashion education to achieve it; you need ambition and a unique vision. At the age of 18, he had already been signed by Pierre Cardin, thanks to drawings that the young designer sent left and right, seeking recognition and a start in the world of needles, threads, and textiles.

Gaultier learned on the job; sometimes, when you love fashion design, the process seems intuitive. With an innovative approach and unconventional materials, he presented his first eponymous prêt-à-porter collection in 1976, showcasing men's skirts with nautical themes, styled with tailoring that was "exaggerated" for its time.

His way of challenging and playing with social classes, contexts, and environments outside the city allowed him to show a new vision of the male body, but he also had plans for the female figure. He decided to take corsetry out of intimacy and turn it into the emblem of his brand. Corsets with transparencies, the arrangement of ribbons, and the technique of stretching fabrics to close with a finish similar to theater curtains when they are suspended from the ceiling, made the public and critics turn to look at him, asking for more.

The enfant terrible of fashion was characterized by breaking molds, injecting humor into his designs with the simple act of observing people walking. This is how urban richness flooded his brand with tattoos, piercings, androgyny, and the evident influence of other cultures, such as Japanese. Jean Paul Gaultier transformed into a symbol of inclusion and daring, leading him to create emblematic pieces for productions such as The Fifth Element and Madonna's Blonde Ambition tour, where the iconic "Cone Bra" was born.

Speaking of emblems of the Gaultier name, we could write a whole alphabet. To give us an idea, after his retirement in 2020, the brand's collaborating creative directors have referenced collections such as Autumn/Winter 1984 with the conical velvet bust, Spring/Summer 2003 Haute Couture, which inspired designers like Jeremy Scott, or Ready-to-Wear 2004, where the ribbon-interlacing technique marked a before and after in ways of covering the body.

His daring made him one of the greatest influences in contemporary fashion. We see his t-shirts in music videos and his dresses on every red carpet. And his inspiration remains alive and beating in the hearts of many young designers, eager to challenge the norms in the same way he did. Liberté, Égalité, Jean Paul Gaultier.