Overview

• Lantink unveiled the SS26 ‘Junior’ collection in the basement of the Musée du Quai Branly during Paris Fashion Week on October 5.
• He deliberately avoided the archive, reworking signatures such as marinière stripes, conical references and tattoo-on-mesh through trompe l’oeil anatomy, inflated 3D treatments and optical illusions.
• Influences ranged from Amsterdam’s RoXY club to a John Giorno soundtrack, with show notes emphasizing fun, energy, urgency and fashion-as-freedom.
• The debut formalizes Puig’s reboot of Gaultier ready-to-wear under a permanent creative director after five years of rotating couture guests and a pause in RTW since 2014.
• Early reaction was strong and mixed, with industry figures praising the risk-taking, and Jean Paul Gaultier was reported to have applauded the presentation after the show.