SS96 Jean Paul Gaultier ‘Safe Sex Forever’ Mesh Tattoo Longsleeve

French designer Jean Paul Gaultier’s Spring 1996 collection set focus on themes of love, beauty and the expression of one’s body. Titled “Cyberbaba”, the show drew inspiration from both the late 1960s hippie movement and new millennia’s tech-centric attitude. While contrasting in theme, Gaultier unveiled a psychedelic indulgence through space-age design, using trompe l’oeil prints as his daring muse. Skin fitting silhouettes were accentuated by free-flowing bottoms, all of which were plastered with graphics, including his infamous ‘X-ray’ motifs and ‘Safe Sex’ prints. In all, the showing stands as a quintessential work of Gaultier’s career, further proving his borderless abilities.

 

Among such infamy stands Jean Paul Gaultier’s prized ‘Safe Sex Forever’ graphic. Created as a tribute to his late boyfriend who passed from AIDS, the gothic print encompasses ‘Safe Sex Forever’ lettering amomg pierced hearts. Chinese dragons spiral down either arm, standing before the large back graphic which depicts a full size creature. Barbed wire accents then complete the look, fitting tight to the skin, as a size 40 or medium, in pristine condition throughout.