Jean Paul Gaultier has announced a collaboration with Shayne Oliver

The list of creatives chosen by Jean Paul Gaultier to keep the legacy of the maison's founder alive even after his retirement includes a new talent. This time it's not a guest designer for haute couture, like Simone Rocha and Nicolas Di Felice, but rather a ready-to-wear line that will be unveiled alongside the Met Gala. The designer chosen for this new project is Shayne Oliver, co-founder of Hood by Air, now president of the Shayne Oliver Group. The collection will include fifty items that blend Oliver's American design aesthetic with Jean Paul Gaultier's romantic-gothic style. The collab will be unveiled during the afterparty that the Parisian maison has prepared for the Met Gala, a unique moment where fashion and entertainment take center stage on New York's most famous red carpet.

In an interview with BoF, Oliver explained that he drew inspiration from Gaultier's archive, particularly from the 1990s designs, where the French designer combined denim and couture. Similarly, his approach to style at Hood by Air transformed elements of American street culture into sartorial works that both belonged to haute couture and provided social critique. In the interview, the American designer explained that the new collection with Jean Paul Gaultier intertwines elements such as "utility, femininity, power, and play" and was created to be worn "from couture to the dance floor." The collaboration with Shayne Oliver could be a significant stepping stone for both the young designer and the French maison. Despite being a well-established icon of contemporary fashion, since the founder's retirement, Jean Paul Gaultier's ready-to-wear has taken a backstage position, making room for perfumes and couture designed by guest designers.