PARIS — The recent couture season has underscored a growing trend in fashion: the elevation of spectacle and viral appeal as central to the industry’s output. At the forefront is Duran Lantink, the newly appointed creative director at Jean Paul Gaultier and the brand’s first permanent successor since its founding designer. Lantink’s debut couture collection, presented last week, blended traditional craftsmanship with provocative and exaggerated designs aimed as much at digital engagement as at wearability.
Lantink, known for his boundary-pushing work, first made headlines last spring with a show featuring gender-fluid prosthetics and continued to attract attention with a ready-to-wear collection emblazoned with detailed male nudity. His inaugural couture presentation followed the house’s legacy of challenging norms but pushed into extreme forms that many critics described as more performative than practical.
The collection included sharply tailored jackets with unconventional shoulder silhouettes, sculptural gowns that seemingly exaggerated historical references to the court of Louis XIV, and a finale piece nearly 10 feet wide resembling a cross between an 18th-century ball gown and a street sweeper. Among the standout pieces was a dress incorporating a plastic breastplate filled with lavender sprigs, subtly nodding to Gaultier’s iconic fragrance Le Male — a possible acknowledgement of the show’s dual role as art and advertisement.
This blurring of boundaries between fashion and social media spectacle extends beyond Gaultier. Other designers are similarly embracing the “meme couture” era, where the capacity to generate viral moments appears as crucial as the design itself. Silvana Armani’s latest Privé collection introduced a risqué evening gown supported solely by embroidered pasties, while Robert Wun combined extreme corsetry with childhood-themed accessories, creating whimsical ensembles with more emphasis on spectacle than everyday wear.
Some designers, however, balance attention-grabbing elements with thoughtful commentary. Viktor&Rolf’s latest show featured an interplay between youth and age, as two models—one young, one older—dressed and undressed on a revolving stage. Their final gowns, inscribed with the words “decadence” and “restraint,” served as a meditation on aging and societal expectations, blending theatricality with introspection.
Similarly, Daniel Roseberry of Schiaparelli took a subtler approach by experimenting with unconventional materials. His collection showcased garments embroidered with real preserved hydrangeas, molded silicone pieces resembling traditional fabrics, and even LED lights integrated into beaded skirts to create an internal glow. The collection drew praise for its reflection on the tension between natural and artificial, technology and tradition, and was amplified by Zendaya’s post-show appearance in one of the couture looks during her press tour for the upcoming film “The Odyssey.”
As fashion increasingly straddles the domains of art, commerce, and online virality, designers face the challenge of creating work that resonates beyond mere spectacle. While the imperative to capture digital attention is clear, some industry observers argue that lasting impact requires garments imbued with substantive meaning. For his part, Lantink has demonstrated flair for theatricality and provocation but has yet to fully integrate deeper conceptual content into his couture narrative. With his ambition and platform, further exploration into the symbolic potential of his designs may yet follow.