Duran Lantink Is Named Creative Director of Jean Paul Gaultier
Another reported fashion rumor has come to fruition. Duran Lantink has been named the permanent creative director of Jean Paul Gaultier. The Dutch designer was originally speculated to be the next guest couture collaborator, following Ludovic de Saint Sernin’s shipwreck-themed spring/summer 2025 show. Instead, he will step forward as the first sole replacement for Jean Paul Gaultier at his legendary eponymous house, marking an end to the brand’s buzzy three-year experimental series.
Both designers took to Instagram to celebrate the news. “I see in him the energy, the audacity, and playful spirit through fashion that I had at the beginning of my own journey: the new enfant terrible of fashion. Welcome, Duran,” Gaultier wrote. Lantink also shared a photo of himself at 11 years old in his hometown of The Hague sporting his first ever JPG beanie. As the designer put it, he was totally obsessed and “[had] no clue I’d end up leading the house today!”
Initially a cult-favorite of fashion insiders, Lantink has progressively begun making mainstream shockwaves in recent seasons. Most notably, the brand’s fall/winter 2025 show went viral for sending a breastplate bouncing down the runway. Though prompting mixed opinions online, industry veterans welcomed the sudden laugh after a long four weeks on the fashion circuit. Earlier this month, the designer also won the International Woolmark Prize. Presented by Donatella Versace, Lantink will receive $300,000 AUD (approximately $195,000). The honor represented more than a cash infusion, though any designer these days would welcome it—the award cemented Lantink’s growing momentum.
The move will certainly inject fresh energy into JPG’s veins. During the pandemic, the hallowed brand experienced an unprecedented renaissance with Gen Z. On one hand, resale prices for vintage pieces, though abundant, suddenly tripled. On the other, besides capsule collaborations with designers including Glenn Martens and Shayne Oliver, the house was largely regurgitating the archives. Now, with Lantink’s fresh, keen eyes and similarly surrealist design ethos, fans and consumers will have something truly new to look forward to.
According to the brand’s Instagram, Lantink will not only step up to the helm of haute couture, but he will also officially reprise the ready-to-wear runway for the first time since JPG paused prêt-à-porter in 2015. The designer is set to debut this September for the spring/summer 2026 season—among quite a few exciting first-time collections—and will follow with couture in January 2026.