Duran Lantink makes his debut in Jean Paul Gaultier’s haute couture line with a collection that combines the opulence of Versailles with the technologies of the future. 3D-printed exoskeletons, mutating corsets, and impossible silhouettes give shape to a new couture fantasy.
Some collections are created to be admired; others, however, are created to be experienced.
Jean Paul Gaultier’s Autumn-Winter 2026-2027 Haute Couture collection, the first designed by Duran Lantink for the fashion house, falls into the latter category.
This is a collection in which the silhouette decides to cast aside all convention and throw itself into the arms of experimentation.
Jean Paul Gaultier invites us to be seduced by history in his new collection, building solid bridges to the most contemporary present.
Thus, echoes of the 18th century – of Marie Antoinette and the theatricality of the court – intersect with materials and technologies from another era.
Consequently, 3D-printed exoskeletons form the architectural framework of the looks: shoulders that border on the superhuman, necklines that project forwards, and structures in which the body appears to be transformed into a veritable sculptural landscape.
The garment is not merely an accessory for the wearer; rather, it seems to be the one truly in control of the situation.
Jean Paul Gaultier presents the past to us as an unsettling fantasy.
The bustles seem to take the shape of insect tails, the crinolines fan out to release cascades of tulle, and references to courtly dress take on monumental, almost impossible proportions.
It is precisely this lack of functionality that becomes a true experiment. When practicality is no longer a factor, the forms are imbued with freedom, pushing the imagination to its limits.
Versailles is filled with embroidery, ornamental motifs and details that seem to evoke Marie Antoinette’s best-kept secrets.
But Jean Paul Gaultier does not invite us to enjoy a collection that merely exudes nostalgia.
Burgundy, a recurring colour in the Gaultier universe, stands shoulder to shoulder with royal blues, mint green, flamingo pink, and shades that form a palette straight out of an Enlightenment-era dream, filtered through a futuristic laboratory.
Lantink doesn’t turn his back on the brand’s purest essence either. The corset, the tailored jacket, Aran knitwear, tulle and, of course, the iconic conical bra make a transformed comeback: the cones break away from their conventional position and trace the contours of the body, creating sharp protrusions.
Historic fabrics and forgotten garments are revived to enjoy a new lease on life.
From buttons inspired by Zeeland tradition to jewellery transformed into armour and a nod to Le Mâle beneath a glass dome, Jean Paul Gaultier’s upcoming collection treats haute couture as a veritable laboratory.
And, above all, as a genuine provocation: why merely dress the body when we can also reinvent the silhouette?
