Gaultier Reflects On His 35 Year Career, Short-Lived Musical Aspirations

by Chloe Marmet | 2:39 pm, June 21st, 2011

We love Jean Paul Gaultier. And who wouldn’t? He invented the cone bra! He spanked Gaga! He was an 80s pop star! It doesn’t get much better than that. The french designer was born in the suburbs of Paris and with no formal training, quickly grew to be one of the most respected names in fashion. In an interview with Opening Ceremony, Gaultier dished about his friendship with Madonna, his childhood, and what Pierre Cardin taught him. Here are some of the designer’s reflections on his 35 year career.

On his 80s pop hit “How To Do That”:

I sold around 30,000 records – almost made it to the Top 50, but I think that was my last foray into the music business as a musician. I prefer to dress the stars.

On his first impressions of Madonna:

The first time I saw Madonna was on Top of the Pops. She was singing “Holiday,” and she had a fabulous look. (I actually thought that she was English because she was so stylish.) She was into the same things that I was doing at the time, like crosses, oversized jewelry, and fishnets. The second time I saw her live was at the first MTV awards in New York at Radio City Music Hall. It must have been 1984. She sang “Like A Virgin” in a wedding dress and was simulating “self contentment” or “self satisfaction,” to put it euphemistically. The audience was mostly business people, who were horrified. There were just a few young fans–and me, who absolutely loved it. That is when I realized that she couldn’t care less what others thought of her, and I also saw how powerful she was.

On his childhood:

I used to buy all the magazines, look at the collections, and then do my own. And if Dior or Cardin had 300 outfits, I would have 310. I even wrote my own reviews.

On apprenticing for Pierre Cardin at 18:

I learned about freedom from Mr. Cardin. There was an absolute freedom in his studio… He had assistants from all over the world — it was the first time I tried Japanese food with my colleagues from work. It was a great time, and it taught me that you have to have a free spirit to succeed.

And on where his inspiration comes from:

Inspiration is never a problem; I usually have too much of it. I sometimes want to say too many things at once. Everything I see can inspire me: the cinema, theater, music.

While we’re sad to hear he isn’t making a music comeback, the interview is a lot of fun to read. Plus, there are some great photos of Gaultier, the clothes he’s designed, and his various muses over the past 35 years. Check it out here. And you can watch the music video for Gaultier’s almost-Top-50 single below: