Jean Paul Gaultier’s Paris Fashion Week show on September 27 will be his last, at least as far as his ready-to-wear line is concerned. WWD reports this morning that the designer is planning to focus on his couture line and his fragrances. Its sources indicate that the ready-to-wear business was barely breaking even. Gaultier said in a statement, “After more than 38 years spent producing men’s and women’s ready-to-wear collections, it seems to us that the time has come to stop some of our activities and to concentrate principally on the development of the haute couture, of perfumes and to certain collaborations that I have not yet had time to explore. This is a new beginning, I will be able to express again my creativity fully and without constraints.” The Spanish company Puig, which holds a majority stake in Gaultier’s company, will take over the designer’s profitable fragrance licenses in 2016.
