The acclaimed designer reveals some of the secrets behind his new fragrance

Jun 6, 2008 10:27 GMT  ·  By

Jean Paul Gaultier, the legendary "enfant terrible" of the fashion world, a rebel and a breakthrough artist of gender-bending style and unconventional fragrances, is getting ready to release his newest perfume, called Ma Dame, via an international ad campaign starring British supermodel Agyness Deyn. In a recent interview with fashion website Style.com, Gaultier revealed a little about the concept behind the fragrance, his view on fashion and fragrance and his perspective on feminism and Agyness Deyn.

Asked to point out the role of Ma Dame in his perfume collections, Gaultier explained that he has in fact "built a family of perfumes: Classique is the mother, Le Male is the father, the son is Fleur du Male, Fragile is sort of like the aunt, and now here comes the daughter. She is energetic, modern, and young in attitude, and that concludes the family". As for the idea - the French designer revealed that he wanted his new fragrance to smell electric, and that he often gets inspiration for his clothes from his choice of perfume ingredients. "[Fragrance] is very complimentary to fashion [...], it's another story about color and packaging and often gives me ideas for my clothes. I did one dress in my couture collection in the pink from this perfume."

"The word "madame" is very bourgeois and old-fashioned. But "Ma Dame" is completely different. It's my type of woman-at the same time fragile and strong, like a tomboy", he added. Which explains his choice of model for the campaign, as Deyn, with her androgynous look and spiky hair, perfectly gives off both a feminine and a masculine radiance. "She was ballerina and biker, so feminine and masculine. It was a mix of my sensibility, and I knew she was completely the one to represent it", Gaultier reveals. Watch out for the new Jean Paul Gaultier fragrance and ad campaign - coming soon.