the very cinema-loving fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier discusses his first steps in animated cinema

The Annecy Festival has unveiled the first images of a feature film by Benoît Philippon set in the world of fashion, for which Jean Paul Gaultier is the artistic director.

Jean Paul Gaultier has just made his entry into animated cinema, as artistic director of a feature film, the first visuals of which were unveiled on Thursday June 13 at the Annecy Festival. “I was flattered that people thought of me” : the idea appealed to the 72-year-old fashion designer when the Franco-Belgian studio nWave approached him to offer to collaborate on an animated film which immerses the viewer in the world of fashion.

“In animation we can make everything, even the impossible, that’s what’s great”confides Jean-Paul Gaultier to AFP on the sidelines of the Annecy International Festival, an unmissable event for the profession. “The approach of the line, a silhouette, a line” : this cinematographic technique “more closely matches what I know” compared to live action films, adds the “artistic director” of this project during its presentation to the public.

The work, under the direction of director Benoît Philippon, began about a year and a half ago and is still in its early stages: the film, which does not yet have a title, is announced for early 2027.

The work, under the direction of director Benoît Philippon, began about a year and a half ago and is still in its early stages: the film, which does not yet have a title, is announced for early 2027.

Matthieu Zeller, president of the nWave studio (Samy’s Extraordinary Journey, Bigfoot Family, The Inséparables) recounted how, during their first meetings, Jean Paul Gaultier very quickly imagined being able to “to do the parade that (he has) always dreamed of in real life”. It was he who then presented Jean Paul Gaultier with the script by writer Emilie Frèche: the story of a moth who dreams of making haute couture, far from her destiny as a maker of holes in sweaters. A universe that is both realistic and contemporary, mixing the world of humans and insects.

“He brings a lot, not only visual and graphic ideas, but also a spirit, a vision of fashion which is fantastic, which is very cinematic and also very accessible”rejoices Matthieu Zeller, whose studio, a recognized specialist in digital 3D, is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.

The first images, sketches not yet animated, reveal the Gaultier influence: in the outfits of course but also the characters. One is, for example, inspired by the actress Rossy de Palma, who was one of the designer’s muses, another by the man in the striped sweater himself, in the guise of a “myth” of fashion installed Avenue Montaigne in Paris. The capital where the heroine goes to try to make her dreams come true. “Jean Paul brings us funny anecdotes, ideas that are hyper-adapted to animation”, underlines Matthieu Zeller to AFP. “We couldn’t make this film with anyone other than him, and his free, fanciful, unserious look,” which lends itself perfectly to mainstream animation.

Jean Paul Gaultier had “a kind of love at first sight” for the project. “I try to adapt, and see, based on the possible techniques, how far we can go” in animation, he said. He also recognizes himself in the initiatory story and adventure comedy. “In the script, there were lots of things that suited me, in the vision of showing the different types of beauty, the differences. That concerns me and that’s what I’ve always done a bit in my fashion shows”he emphasizes.

We know Jean Paul Gaultier is very fond of cinema. A passion that he owes to Falbalas, a 1945 film directed by Jean Becker starring Micheline Presle and Raymond Rouleau. Jean Paul Gaultier was only 13 years old at the time: “It showed the life of a fashion designer and a love story. I liked the whole atmosphere, that’s when I started drawing.” The designer who left the catwalks in 2020 also pursued his passion by designing costumes for the 7th art.

It is currently at the Lacoste cinema and fashion museum (Vaucluse) with the exhibition CinéMode by Jean Paul Gaultier which traces his passion for the films that inspired him and the emblematic costumes made for the 7th art. Through photos, films and around twenty major pieces, the Lacoste museum retrospective explores the reciprocal influences of fashion and cinema that have marked his work.