Irreverent and daring, Jean Paul Gaultier welcomes a new creative director after several years of its rotating designer experiment. The shapeshifting aesthetic of Duran Lantink joins the maison of eternal playfulness for his debut at the Spring/Summer 2025 Womenswear show, revealing a vision that’s unique, eccentric, and—spoiler alert—guaranteed to make you laugh.

When Duran Lantink announced he wouldn’t be opening the Gaultier archives for his first collection, my first thought was: thank God! In recent years, we’ve seen countless reinterpretations of the designer’s legacy through homage and replication, so a fresh, unapologetically bizarre perspective feels like the jolt the brand needed.

The collection delivers exactly that: weird, witty, and unmistakably Gaultier. From the very first look, Lantink reimagines the iconic cone bra using his signature sponge-molding technique, transforming it into a bodysuit that celebrates rockstarmasculinity and continues to toy with the gender-bending themes that defined the brand’s DNA. This time, hairy, naked male bodies are printed on sleek feminine silhouettes, paired with bold bras and cheeky briefs.

Titled Junior, the collection feels like a child remembering the golden years of Jean Paul Gaultier and translating them into exaggerated shapes and unexpected combinations. Sky blues and vibrant oranges dominate, creating visual moments that are equal parts playful and sexual—complete with graphic and sporty cut-outs.

Duran Lantink is the natural answer to Gaultier’s ongoing evolution: a creative whose vision already feels emblematic of a new era. For now, this is merely a prelude to his potential—but one thing is certain: the doors Jean Paul Gaultier has opened are endless. If the goal is to continue the legacy of pop revolution and scandal, he’s absolutely on the right path.