Date: 2014
Origin: Sweden
Fabric: Stretch nylon mesh
Brand: Jean Paul Gaultier for Lindex
Haute Couture designer Jean Paul Gaultier and affordable fashion chain Lindex collaborated in 2014. The collection included a range of clothing and lingerie that captured signature aesthetic details from Gaultier’s archives (such as sailor stripe patterns cone bust bras), offered at the more accessible price point that Lindex is renowned for. The accompanying advertising campaign was modelled by Karen Elson. A 10% cut of each sale from the range was donated to Breast Cancer Research. Gaultier commented on the collection that ‘Making a collection like this is a challenge but a very positive one. It allows me to see other people that I don’t work with usually, it also allows me to make my clothes at a price level that is affordable’.
This lingerie set incorporates a tattoo effect print over sheer mesh, a recurring motif from several of Gaultier’s Haute Couture collections. The moulded cup bra has a plunging neckline and fastens with a metal hook at the centre front. It coordinates with the bikini cut briefs of the same nylon mesh fabric.
Lindex began life as a lingerie boutique, opened in 1954 in Alingsås, Sweden. The brand gradually expanded its offerings to womenswear, and began to open additional stores in Sweden and Norway, which remain the label’s core market. Lindex now has around 460 stores in 18 different countries, and offers a diverse range of womens’ wear, childrens’ wear, cosmetics and lingerie, at a relatively accessible price point. It is renowned for its efforts in sustainable material sourcing.
Jean Paul Gaultier founded his eponymous label in 1977 in Paris, France, and soon became renowned as the ‘Enfant Terrible’ of French fashion for his daring and playful approach to design. The label encompasses a fashion empire that covers haute couture, ready to wear, eyewear and perfume. Many of his designs have been strongly influenced by historical lingerie designs, with famous silhouettes including dramatically shaped corsetry and exagerrated bullet bras. The designer has collaborated on a number of ‘ready to wear’ projects, including with the label Wolford in the late 1990s, and with La Perla in the early 2010s.
From the collection of Karolina Laskowska
