LONDON — When Jimmy Choo creative director Sandra Choi and Florence Tétier, creative director of fashion at Jean Paul Gaultier, got together for the collaboration between their two brands, there was one woman they both had in mind to front the campaign: Kylie Minogue.
“She was very into it and she told us anecdotes of when she met Jean Paul. This is something which is super important for me, to work with people who make sense with the brand, they don’t have to be old friends of the brand, but they have to have a story about the brand and she really did,” said Tétier in an interview with Choi.
The six-piece collaboration is a fusion of practicality and wit, featuring Jimmy Choo classics with Jean Paul Gaultier references.
A nude pump and leather knee-high boots are decorated with tattoos as an homage to Gaultier’s spring 1994 collection Les Tatouages, with pavé micro-crystals for a touch of glamour, meanwhile a heeled mule is embellished with chain jewelry.
“Jimmy Choo would never ever cover the design details in tattoos, so I copped into those identities because all of the elements have to do with identity,” said Choi, adding that the jewelry in the spring 1994 collection played a key role in the design of the mule.
The name of both brands is subtly tattooed onto the soles of the shoes in the signature gothic font.
Tétier came back to Choi to add that another key design they should consider is the trompe l’oeil, which has been infused onto an over-the-knee boot in denim and a classic pump with a glass block heel featuring two landmark destinations: Tour Eiffel and Big Ben.
The decision to feature the clock tower took some thinking time and a pause because Choi didn’t want to tread on the toes of the House of Parliament due to the brand’s relationship with the royal household.
“It’s just totally moody, grungy and fashion. It’s black, skin, silver, white — it’s so monotone, but it’s punchy,” said an excited Choi, who has been a longtime Gaultier fan.
“It’s because of the nature of the brand’s aesthetic and what it stands for, whether it’s pop culture or just being truly rebellious — to have that platform and point of view in fashion was always important as a young person growing up,” she added.
Choi was adamant that she wanted this collaboration to be outside of the box by teaming with a brand that wasn’t so “obvious, but also slightly uncomfortable.”
She reminisced about her own past of wearing Jean Paul Gaultier to nightclubs when designing.
Tétier’s way of working at the French brand is to imagine what the founder would be doing if he was 30-years old again now, while still respecting the brand’s rich history.
“It’s about this mix of established brands and super young people finding the right balance,” she said.
This story was reported by WWD and originally appeared on WWD.com.
