he fashion world’s game of musical chairs keeps on spinning— this time landing Dutch designer Duran Lantink at the helm of Jean Paul Gaultier. Known for his irreverent approach to design and couture, Lantink steps into the role with big shoes to fill as the 37-year-old’s appointment will mark the first time the French luxury label has named someone permanently in that role since Jean Paul Gaultier himself stepped down in 2020.
Since then, the brand has customarily invited guest designers to reinterpret the JPG universe in their own way. With this move though, the Maison will stray away from its usual ways, ushering in a new chapter of creative continuity rather than seasonal reinvention.
For those that may not be familiar, the Holland-born designer honed his skills at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie and Sandberg Instituut in Amsterdam, launching his own label soon after. Identifiable by his brazen understanding of fashion and strong use of upcycled fabrics, Lantink carved a name out for himself as a disruptor, unafraid to challenge industry norms and reshape haute couture to his liking.
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His appointment comes just weeks after he took home the prestigious 2025 Woolmark Prize, announced in Milan last month. He is also the recipient of the 2023 ANDAM Special Prize and the LVMH Prize’s Karl Lagerfeld Award in 2024.
“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,” Jean Paul Gaultier said on Lantink’s appointment. “Duran isn’t referencing Gaultier exactly, but you can find his values there in the way he is rethinking volumes, rethinking the body,” managing director Antoine Gagey added.
Expected to make his official runway debut in September during Paris Fashion Week and in January 2026 for Paris Haute Couture Week, all eyes are on Jean Paul Gaultier as the industry eagerly awaits to see how Lantink will balance the house’s DNA with his very own.
