Ludovic de Saint Sernin confirmed as next Jean Paul Gaultier guest designer

Following media speculation, Jean Paul Gaultier has now confirmed that Paris-based Ludovic de Saint Sernin is to be the fashion house’s next guest designer. While it had previously been suggested that de Saint Sernin had already swept up the honour, the news has now officially been verified to WWD, ensuring that the young designer is to become the eighth guest couturier at Gaultier’s eponymous fashion house.

With this, de Saint Sernin will create and present a couture collection for the Puig-owned brand in a show expected to come next January as part of Paris Couture Week. He follows in the footsteps of other notable names that have taken up the temporary role, including Sacai’s Chitose Abe, Simone Rocha, Rabanne’s Julien Dossena, Haider Ackermann, Balmain’s Olivier Rousteing, Diesel’s Glenn Martens and Nicolas Di Felice.

It marks a continuation in Gaultier’s guest designer concept, which he had adopted for his brand following his retirement from fashion in 2020. Those selected are tasked with presenting a collection that reinterprets the house’s 50-year history, many of whom do so while incorporating elements of their own personal handwriting.

Ludovic de Saint Sernin is a Belgian designer raised in Paris and a graduate of the École Supérieure des Arts Appliqués Duperré. After two initial experiences at Balmain and Dior, he launched his eponymous brand in 2017. He had a brief stint at Ann Demeulemeester in 2023. In February 2024, he chose to show during New York Fashion Week.