Brand: Jean Paul Gaultier

Season: Fall/Winter 2021

Buy: Jean Paul Gaultier, sacai, Dover Street Market, SSENSE

Editor's Notes: Gaultier's return to ready-to-wear is growing even bigger. With his initial offering already available at retailers like SSENSE, the French designer's latest couture offering — overseen by sacai founder Chitose Abe — has just debuted alongside an array of RTW apparel.

Jointly devised by Abe and Gaultier in line with the latter's codes, the collection has less of a sacai feel to it — and that's okay. It's not a sacai collection, after all, it's a Gaultier affair. The collaborative Nike Vaporwaffles give it a streetwear edge (yes, they're already sold out on pre-order), one that may make Gaultier's inclinations even more appreciable to younger shoppers less familiar with his more elevated offerings. Plus, couture garments aren't usually made available to the general public, so this limited edition affair makes for a neat keepsake.

For instance, there are several "ENFANTS TERRIBLES"-branded tees that simultaneously nod to sacai's preference for simplistic graphic T-shirts and Gaultier's nickname ("l'enfant terrible"), updated to reflect both audacious designers.

There's also a bomber jacket — another sacai signature — finished with an oversized cut and an all-over tattoo-style pattern that also graces some skin-tight sets of shirts and leggings, riffing off an archival Gaultier motif. To round off the concise capsule, there's a special variation of Gaultier's Classique fragrance, dressed in a tattoo-printed tulle designed by longtime sacai collaborator Dr. Woo.

The sacai for Gaultier couture show was a one-off affair, so don't expect a second chance — though Gaultier may have more collaborative couture shows in the works.

sacai, meanwhile, has been collaborating up a storm, recently. Technically, Gaultier was first (the couture collection was intended to debut pre-pandemic), but he was preceded by Dior, KAWS, Tomo Koizumi, and CLOT, to name but a few.