Duran Lantink
Creative director of Jean Paul Gaultier (since April 2025)
Duran Lantink is a Dutch designer who was appointed creative director of Jean Paul Gaultier in April 2025, ending the rotating guest designer model the house had used since its founder stepped back in 2020. He is known for provocative silhouettes and for building collections from upcycled materials and deadstock.
| Role | Creative director, Jean Paul Gaultier |
|---|---|
| Since | April 2025 |
| Education | Gerrit Rietveld Academie; Sandberg Instituut (2017) |
| Born | 1987, The Hague |
| Awards | LVMH Prize Special Jury Prize 2024; International Woolmark Prize 2025 |
Who is Duran Lantink?
Duran Lantink, born in The Hague in 1987, is a Dutch designer based between Amsterdam and Paris. In April 2025 Jean Paul Gaultier named him the house's first permanent creative director since Gaultier himself stepped down in 2020. Gaultier said of him: "I see in him the energy, audacity and playful spirit through fashion that I had at the beginning of my own journey."
Career
Lantink studied at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie and graduated from the Sandberg Instituut in Amsterdam in 2017. He gained international attention in 2018 when Janelle Monáe wore his designs in the music video for Pynk, and has since dressed artists including Beyoncé, Billie Eilish and Lizzo.
Industry recognition followed quickly:
- 2023: ANDAM Special Prize, shared with Ester Manas
- 2024: Karl Lagerfeld Special Jury Prize at the LVMH Prize
- 2025: International Woolmark Prize
- 2025: Appointment at Jean Paul Gaultier, with a debut ready to wear collection, titled Junior, in Paris in the autumn
His haute couture debut for the house was scheduled for January 2026. His work is held in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Influence on the fashion business
Lantink built his reputation on combining luxury deadstock fabrics and existing garments into new pieces, making him one of the most visible designers to bring upcycling into high fashion. His collections often explore gender, the body and exaggerated proportion, as in his March 2025 Paris show featuring androgynous silhouettes and silicone forms.
At Jean Paul Gaultier his appointment marked a strategic shift. From 2020 the house had invited a different guest designer each season to reinterpret its couture archive. Choosing a permanent creative director signalled a move towards a consistent ready to wear vision that can support the brand's commercial ambitions.
Why it matters
Lantink represents a generation of independent designers whose work grew from limited resources, digital visibility and celebrity styling rather than from a long apprenticeship in established houses. His tenure will show whether an experimental, sustainability minded approach can be scaled within a group owned heritage brand. His first seasons at the house, including the ready to wear debut in Paris in 2025 and the couture debut in January 2026, mark the start of that test.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Duran Lantink?
Duran Lantink is a Dutch fashion designer known for upcycled, avant garde clothing. Since April 2025 he has been creative director of Jean Paul Gaultier.
What prizes has Duran Lantink won?
He received the ANDAM Special Prize in 2023, the Karl Lagerfeld Special Jury Prize at the LVMH Prize in 2024 and the International Woolmark Prize in 2025.