Duran Lantink strikes back with his first Jean Paul Gaultier campaign At the helm of Gaultier, Lantink confirms his provocative vision through the lens of Inez and Vinoodh

Since the retirement of Jean Paul Gaultier in 2020, the house had experimented with an unprecedented format: entrusting each season’s collections to different designers. Olivier Rousteing, Simone Rocha, and Glenn Martens all took turns, each offering their own reading of the Gaultier repertoire, between homage and reinterpretation. After five years of experimentation, it was time to appoint a permanent creative director. Duran Lantink inherited the reins of the house founded in 1976, a decision both bold and logical for a brand that has never stopped provoking and surprising.

Before entering the famous offices on Rue Saint-Martin, Duran Lantink had created under his own name. Collections that quickly drew attention. A radical freedom that immediately went viral. While the designer has a taste for provocation, his work has earned him awards, notably the Karl Lagerfeld Prize in 2024 (LVMH), followed the next year by the Woolmark Prize. He pushes his experimentation with bodies -and codes- even further. At Gaultier, he reverses the function of clothing: instead of dressing, he undresses. Bodysuits printing a nude body, disjointed marinières revealing skin, hooded bikinis… Each piece plays with the body and cut-outs, revealing a bold and unsettling sensuality. This first collection divided opinions but, above all, sparked conversation -a rare achievement that reminds us that Jean Paul Gaultier is a house where controversy is part of its walls. Lantink, the new enfant terrible of fashion, seems to follow in his predecessor’s footsteps, but with the advantage of social media: his silhouettes circulate instantly, far beyond the fashion sphere.

After the collection received a mixed reception during the runway show, the launch of the Spring-Summer 26 campaign tells a very different story. Behind the lens of Inez and Vinoodh, on a white background, Lantink’s entire vision serves the house of Gaultier. Iconic pieces come to life. The white pleated Marilyn-style dress that appears to float is the first act in a series of pop images straight out of the 1980s -a defining decade for the house. Quirky and exaggerated poses punctuate the series, reflecting both Lantink’s iconoclastic temperament and Gaultier’s heritage.

Yet boldness does not exclude commercial strategy. In parallel, the house publishes Instagram story images from the lookbook, accompanied by purchase links for pieces that are more accessible and wearable in everyday life. The designer thus balances artistic extravagance with commercial success, a crucial equilibrium for a house like Gaultier. Between provocation and accessibility, Duran Lantink imposes his signature and seems already to be writing a new chapter for the house.