Jean Paul Gaultier Tells Carla Bruni 'My Favorite Piece Of Clothing Is The Condom'

WWD has the inside scoop on model-turned-actress Farida Khelfa's documentary "Jean Paul Gaultier ou les codes bouleversés," set to air on French television on Friday night:

The documentary opens with his last Hermès ready-to-wear show in October 2010 and ends with Gaultier taking a bow on the same runway. Khelfa herself made her way down that Hermès catwalk.

[....]

Of course, Gaultier's bubbly nature surfaces in the documentary, which also includes striking images of his first collections. Khelfa says she made a point to film him with women ­-- Madonna, Beth Ditto and Dita Von Teese­ because "he really likes women."

However, the segment we're most excited to see is Carla Bruni's interview with the designer. According to the fashion newspaper, JPG tells Bruni, "My favorite piece of clothing is the condom, because it protects from the [HIV] virus." Bruni and Gaultier have worked together for the "Born HIV free" campaign by the Global Fund.

France Soir has some additional deets: Gaultier dished on his relationship with businessman Francis Menuge, remarking, "It was love at first sight. Francis believed in me and gave me strength."

Khelfa noted, "Jean Paul is someone very jovial who rarely expresses his feelings. He'd rather hide his pain and sadness. It's a method of self-preservation. I wanted to show him in an intimate light."

Comments

[margareta svensson]

10:18 AM on 01/23/2011

What nonsense, Gaultier never says to Bruni that condoms are his favourite piece of clothing.
He praises the condom but not during interview with her when on the other hand he stresses how happily impressed he was by the openness of the love between Pierre Bergé and Yves Saint Laurent and that his mother´s view on homosexuality was that love is always wonderful. and that he should always stick to his own way of life.
He emphasises his support of Carla Bruni´s work with Aids.
Voilà

[tcnsrq]

12:58 PM on 01/22/2011

its amazing to me how so many of these guys have been riding on their press for decades even all the while making clothes (sometimes very interesting) that do not fit man or beast.

[Kali03]

07:10 AM on 01/22/2011

Huh.

I don't quite understand why the comments here are negative. Why "Barf" and "he set gay people back 300 years with that comment"?

Myself, I think his comment is admirable in its own way. He could have banged on about how his favorite item of clothing is straight leg trousers or corsets or something and sounded like a perfectly vapid individual. Instead, he acknowledges a very real health threat that can be circumvented (to a degree) by use of condoms. Maybe it made someone think. Especially now, when younger gay men (and others in higher-risk categories) are trending towards behaving as though AIDS and HIV were not issues because they are no longer an automatic death sentence, this is a good thing. To think about condoms, I mean.

People who are old enough to remember the first stages of the epidemic, which he is, have every right to say provocative things like this. And maybe not even a right--maybe I should say: it's a duty.

Kali

[BadBadKitty]

07:34 PM on 01/21/2011

okay......whatever.

[Maverickpower]

05:34 PM on 01/21/2011

Um , er , That was CREEPY !! It makes it sound like he has to wear one , for medical reasons.

[negirl]

05:43 PM on 01/21/2011

Condoms are worn for medical reasons. To prevent STIs and unwanted pregnancy.

[Maverickpower]

05:45 PM on 01/21/2011

Yes , but if your in a relationship and std free ???

And pretty sure he is too old to get pregnant !!

[HenryMcMullen3]

04:31 PM on 01/21/2011

He sets gay people back 300 years with that comment. Lovely.

[GraniteSkyline]

03:42 PM on 01/21/2011

There goes lunch! Barf!