Launching his eponymous fashion house in 1976, Jean Paul Gaultier is a French designer, building an astounding career through gender-non-conforming silhouettes, unconventional collections, and expressing his own personal identity through his work. For over forty decades, Gaultier has remained one of the most influential forces in the fashion industry, with ready-to-wear, accessories, couture, and beyond that holds coveted status to this day. Gaultier has also served as the Creative Director of Hermès, designed Madonna's clothes for her Blond Ambition World Tour, and sponsored the 2004 Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute exhibit, titled "Braveheart: Men in Skirts".