Though it got stage time before I was even born, you have to be living under a proverbial giant rock if you are a stake-holder in this space and not familiar with Madonna’s iconic conical bra! And that’s not just because of how it writ itself into fashion history but also because of the kerfuffle surrounding the Blond Ambition tour, where she wore it on opening night. So, of course, while shaking up the Vatican with Like A Prayer, it was but natural that Madonna would approach the “enfant terrible” of fashion to design her clothes for the tour. In came Jean Paul Gaultier and the rest, as we know it, is history.

Therefore, when the rare opportunity to listen to the man himself presented itself unexpectedly, I made the most of it.

He was speaking at the French Pavilion of the Expo 2020 Dubai on the occasion of the inauguration of his exhibition titled ‘Jean Paul Gaultier: A to Z exhibition’. The exhibition that has been curated by Thierry-Maxime Loriot is a retrospective on the French designer for onlookers to trace back his path as Gaultier erased a lot of accepted codes and paved the way to his identity of becoming fashion’s rebel. Dotted with some of his most iconic designs adorning mannequins, the exhibition is a true representation of the French designer’s repertoire.

On his maiden visit to Dubai, Gaultier said, “In some cities, the architecture only works well at night because of the lights, but Dubai is beautiful both during the day and at night-time.” The cosmopolitan nature of the emirate seemed to be a perfect fit for the designer’s showcase as it helped viewers get a deeper understanding of the designer who was always much ahead of his times.

“This is the first green exhibition at Expo 2020 Dubai that will actually be completely recycled. Jean always loved to recycle his own creations,” explained Loriot, which added context to the ‘Upcycling’ section of the exhibition. A garbage bag dress, tin can jewellery and a scouring pad, next to Madonna’s infamous cage corset in black vinyl, or Kylie Minogue’s ‘Barbarella’ silver-and-gold body corset are all representative of Gaultier’s foresight of recycling.

Handmade, painstaking couture to the finesse of ready-to-wear, Gaultier’s approach to fashion has always been insightful and, therefore, skin-deep. A brown taffeta evening gown on display at the exhibition took 1,700 manhours, between 1997 and 1998, to hand-sew the rhinestone embroidery onto the leopard-print fabric.

Rihanna, Beyonce, Madonna and Lady Gaga are only some of the big names to have donned Gaultier’s designs. At the exhibition, you will also find designs worn by Cate Blanchett and Marion Cotillard. Fifty years in fashion made Gaultier the icon that he is, despite quitting in 2020.

What started with his open-minded parents letting him unfurl his wings and the experimentations of a young design genius on his teddy bear went on to capture the zeitgeist of the times when pop culture became representative of our imagination striving to break out of the cages of accepted norms. In fact, Madonna’s infamous conical bra was first designed to fit Gaultier’s teddy bear!

The designer, who has been open about his sexual orientation, has also always looked out to make his fashion shows exclusive, which was also reflective of having French-Algerian documentary film-maker and former model Farida Khelfa as his front-row guest at the show. “I like strong women, like the Spice Girls, and I like to show the more fragile side to men,” he said. “At the time, the catwalk was full of sweet Swedish models, but Farida had attitude and force. She walked down the runway chewing gum!” laughed Gaultier.

The almost-70-year-old designer’s candour is easy to like and his humour is that of a sparkling kind. He smiles easily and makes people laugh even more easily. His inclusiveness spreads beyond including models of a specific kind as he reiterated his support for cultural appreciation, including praising the drape of a sari. From championing the corset as an element of empowerment and making innerwear-inspired clothes to making designs akin to the body being covered by tattoos, sending men down the runway in skirts and recycling-upcycling for much longer that it became a fad, there is nobody like Gaultier. And we are happy to have been the spectators of the theatre of his delicious absurd.

The exhibition is open for viewing at the French pavilion of Expo 2020 Dubai till March 31

Pictures: Anannya Sarkar and Getty Images