Who is Duran Lantink? Meet Jean Paul Gaultier's new creative director

WORDS Kirsty Thatcher PUBLISHED Tue, 15 Apr 2025 - 3:02 pm

Today marks the start of a landmark new chapter for Jean Paul Gaultier. Five years after the brand's namesake designer officially announced his retirement from an illustrious 50-year career, Jean Paul Gaultier has tapped Duran Lantink to be its creative director.

A new creative director is always headline-making, but this decision is particularly monumental, with Lantink the first-ever successor to Jean Paul Gaultier himself, who earned fame for his theatrical, inclusive, and avant garde collections. So, who is the designer set to lead the brand into the future? Everything we know about Lantink, below.

Who is Duran Lantink?

Duran Lantink is the Dutch designer redefining fashion’s future. Based between Amsterdam and Paris, Lantink is best known for his sculptural silhouettes and boundary-pushing designs that blend sustainability with high concept. You may not know his name, but you’ve likely seen his work: from the infamous “vagina” trousers worn by Janelle Monáe in her Pynk video, to the models painted entirely in animal print on his Autumn Winter 2025 runway.

A graduate of Amsterdam’s Gerrit Rietveld Academie and Sandberg Instituut, Lantink has carved out a distinctive space in fashion’s avant-garde, blending a surreal sensibility with circular practices. Since then, his designs have been embraced by Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Doja Cat, and fashion insiders around the world.

In recent years, he’s also received some of fashion’s highest honours, including the ANDAM Special Prize (2023) and LVMH’s Karl Lagerfeld Special Jury Prize (2024). His creations now live in permanent collections at the Victoria & Albert Museum and Amsterdam’s Stedelijk Museum.

Or, as Jean Paul Gaultier put it: “The new enfant terrible of fashion.” Giving his blessing on the new appointment, Gaultier said, "I see in him the energy, audacity, and playful spirit through fashion that I had at the beginning of my own journey." We can't help but agree.

When will Lantink present his first collection for Jean Paul Gaultier?

Watch this space. Expect to see Lantink's first designs for Jean Paul Gaultier this September. His debut Haute-Couture collection will be in January, 2026. We'll be sure to keep you updated.