Ready-to-wear won’t be the same without him, but it doesn’t look like Jean Paul Gaultier will be returning to the game anytime soon. Back in September, the designer announced he was nixing the ready-to-wear options from his line and would continue instead as a couturier with plans to focus on the fragrance sectors of his brand and explore other projects.
Now, Gaultier is coming forward to explain why he left the RTW game, and the answer is as simple as: It was just way too much work. “Too many clothes kills clothes… Fashion has changed. A proliferation of clothing. Eight collections per season — that’s 16 a year,” Gaultier told the AP. The culture of ready-to-wear is quite hectic and Gaultier simply couldn’t deal with the commercialization of his work. “The system doesn’t work… There aren’t enough people to buy them. We’re making clothes that aren’t destined to be worn,” he said, noting that he is quite happy “doing the things that I like.”
Other designers have complained about the demanding nature of ready-to-wear. John Galliano noted that his hectic schedule creating several collections a year for Christian Dior is part of what drove him to turn to substance abuse to cope. It seems Gaultier is simply preserving his sanity.
[via BoF]
