“Calvin Klein is no friend of mine. Don’t want nobody’s name on my behind”

You may not have been around in the eighties when Run from hip-hop rap group RUN-DMC initially said this, but I’m sure you’ve heard it before. Designer jeans were becoming a thing at the time and a lot of people either couldn’t afford them or refused (like Run) to be a walking advertisement for brands. But, designer jeans were on the rise and there was nothing anyone could do (or wanted to do) about it. Designer jeans led to designer shirts, sneakers, hoodies, and more. Most brands choose to either place their logos in inconspicuous locations on their wares or have them plastered large and bold across their clothing.

Two things surprised me when I opened my email from Jean Paul Gaultier a few hours ago today. First, the manga-style character wearing one of Monsieur Gaultier’s hoodies. “What is he up to?” I wondered aloud. Well, of course, there’s a description in the email of precisely what Jean Paul is up to:

Presented in the Logo-ltier ready-to-wear selection, the Gaultier label is boldly printed in an all-over pattern. Like a traditional handmade stamp transformed into a unique motif, it covers jeans, leggings, as well as mesh tops. Sports jerseys embroidered with "Jean Paul" logos pair up with "Gaultier" signed safety pins. Last but not least, silver or rhinestone razor blades embellish ears, curl around fingers and are clipped into the hair.

It doesn’t say anything about manga or what the connection is to his new line of clothing. So, I click the link and it takes me to his website where I am treated with another manga character at the top of the page. However, as I scroll down the page, I am no longer interested in the manga (although there are two more, one of which is pictured above) and am instead captivated by the Logo-ltier Collection. I was immediately blown away! I had recently moaned about not having enough casual wear that didn’t look like something my dad would wear and in Jean Paul Gaultier’s new collection, I found exactly what I was looking for. TH will no longer be my go-to casual wear brand. Have a look at some of JPG’s stuff below and be amazed.

You can click on any of the images to make a purchase, but there are so many more amazing products from this collection that you can find by following this link.

So, apparently, there’s no connection to Japanese-produced comics, but I totally dig the art anyway. Maybe someone smarter than me can figure it out.