Duran Lantink, the Dutch designer and cover star of Heroine 21, has officially been appointed as the new creative director of Jean Paul Gaultier. Lantink, who gained widespread recognition last year after winning LVMH’s esteemed Karl Lagerfeld Prize, has steadily risen in the fashion world over recent seasons. He first garnered attention for his daring use of deadstock materials from high-end labels, often leaving visible logos and brand elements intact to challenge conventions.
More recently, Lantink has become known for his innovative and sculptural approach to design. His runway shows in Paris are consistently playful and boundary-pushing, featuring abstract, lumpy silhouettes that defy tradition.
His new role at Jean Paul Gaultier feels like a fitting continuation of the brand’s legacy of rebellious creativity. Jean Paul Gaultier himself praised the appointment, saying, “I see in him the energy, audacity, and playful spirit through fashion that I had at the beginning of my own journey: the new enfant terrible of fashion.” That description seems apt—last season, Lantink made waves online by sending a male model down the runway in a silicone breastplate, a move that echoed the provocative flair of Gaultier’s early work.
Lantink will oversee both the ready-to-wear and haute couture lines for the label. Although he has not yet shown a couture collection, his bold and sculptural aesthetic suggests a strong future in that space. Sharing his thoughts on the new chapter, Lantink remarked, “I consider Jean Paul Gaultier a genius and part of a generation that kicked down doors, so people like us can walk through them freely and be who we are without apology. Stepping into the role of Creative Director is a true honor. To me, Gaultier represents the ultimate house of creative spirit and savoir-faire. It’s provocative, and continuously pushing boundaries. It’s the brand that brings together different disciplines around fashion to create cultural movements, changing the language of clothes and how we wear them in the streets.”
Lantink’s first ready-to-wear collection for Jean Paul Gaultier will debut during Paris Fashion Week this September. His haute couture debut is scheduled for January 2026, during Haute Couture Week.
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