after -- even some not manufactured right. maybe a piece that is a piece of art. i do not like that expression. so forget it. bessemer truly like making beautiful things. i went there. one * my partner, boyfriend, arrived -- one time my partner, borden, said mickey should do a direct election. i said, why? the designer from the 1980's. he said, yes, but maybe it is could for perfume, things like that. to have an international passport. ok. but deep inside, i know that i should have loved to make one

coutoure collection like that. a dream of the elegance of paris. and i remember that i propose -- it was the last new bid of coutoure that arrived. i thought to propose -- [unintelligible] why don't you take one designer like vivian westwood or others to make one season, one coutoure collection? >> you should call some up immediately and suggest the deal. >> [laughs] that is true. each one to make their own collection should not be back.

a very attractive idea. >> as you do not want to talk about art, we will not say your work is art. let's be very vulgar and talk about money. [laughter] it is extraordinary what you have produced in coutoure. does that make any money? quick to be honest, what we produce in coutoure does not make money but it does include money. i must say, i am very proud of that. when i started to do coutoure, after a lot of stories that may be issued do another job, i said, ok, i will do my own collection. i started and never stopped after. on boat one, one woman, done all in lace in the exhibition. it starts like, ok, i did not

think to make another one. so i did one after and one after and one after peter i am still doing it now. this is 1997. more than 10 years. >> i ask the question because it is very interesting when you talk about these people who marked the 1980's and earlier. but so few are around now or they are around in a relatively small way. you're in a situation where your company, the majority shareholding is with pooch to do the fragrances and work with other fashion houses. is this some sort of a new beginning? was it important for you to have this? >> definitely. it was a change. when i went to my company, it was a moment where there were

more shops and boutiques. so we went with ermez, and it became something that was very funny. we -- one moment i did not even have a collection, which was not scheduled at all. it was not about a contract. there was like 45 persons in my company. so i should do the collection. i thought it was an adventure. i love that adventure. at the beginning of was supposed to be -- [unintelligible] of the established house. for me, it was kind of a challenge. and i loved the idea. i love to do it. also my training, my training was doing this. i do not have my gaultier touch

at that time. so then it was like to make jean paul gaultier for ermez. no, sorry, to make ermez through the eyes of jean paul gaultier. i love that. then there was a death. it was seven years after our collaboration. i think it was good to go in, because my life was not with ermez. it was for my own company. so we changed. we pushed. spanish rudes, perfume routes. sounds very good to my ears. i am a quite truthful person >.

>> is there always going to be a controversial side of jean paul gaultier? there was a time when you were inspired by rabbis. i believe you're in new york, there were a bunch of rabbis he saw walking by the public library, you turned it into a collection. you must have known this was dramatic and would be alarming to people. >> i should say that in some way, i think i have a kind of innocence. like that is not that big part of me. when it is beautiful, i believe in it. i saw it was beautiful. i wanted to show it. for me, it was so strong, the impression. it was beautiful.

and with a lot of meaning for me. it was meaning for people like a minority can come together strong and impact. at the same time, visually and spiritually. i wanted to show that beauty. after my time there, michael was to show the beauty seinfield. -- my goal was to show the beauty i felt. i should make a parallel. what i felt was, for example, jewish has been like rejected, have been rejected. me, for other reasons. and when you have -- there are some people that to be integrated, they change themselves. they hide it themselves. i decided not to hide myself, like the fact that my

sensibility was different than my situation was different. i could express it because i went into fashion, and in fashion, there is a lot of gay, so i did not suffer. a lot suffer. i think every minority is that they are ashamed and they do not say that they are. i felt the it was good. you should not ask to be ashamed and to hide yourself. to me, it is courage. i'm sure for a lot of people. maybe they did not say because it is some taboo like religion. it is like, if you are all together on showing who you are, you will be accepted, and people

will refine everything normal. i remember one movie which was very beautiful, "chocolat," which shows one guy which is italian, and he goes to work in switzerland. he is not integrated at all. what does he do? he preaches his hair blond to be integrated, to look as if he was from switzerland. at a football game, he is looking with all the other men, and it is italy against switzerland. at one time, the italians win. i find it beautiful and emotional at the same time. he betrayed himself through that reaction, and at the same time,

it was beautiful, but at the same time, it is sad that you have to change your color or to hide it. that you have to do something like that to deny even your origin. you have to be proud of your urgent and to show it. >> you are giving me a challenge and a challenge -- giving me a challenge and yourself a challenge. what about cult? that is not something to hide behind. it is so out there, and yet, it can be quite important part of your collection. why? >> i have been very marked by the movement. -- what about punk? >> it is not like a creation, absolute.

it is part of living in society. of course, the punk movement was very important. like already taken by the society in some ways. i must say that when i was going to london, i loved that. the inspiration, through the air, to everything. at the same time, i was fascinated. because i was not part of that. but as a voyeur that i am, i wanted to see them. i'm fascinated. i love them. i love the work of westwood. so i love their work because

they did something, but they saw something that was happening, rebellion tight, and that mix of conservative with the art still. i love that, so it has influenced me. for example, in london, i saw a black trench coat, and in the front, you say black is not for children. black is bad, and everything like that that is ridiculous, so i told them. i must say that one for me was a learning experience. i love it. >> london has changed, as every city has. you certainly will not have any of those bankers wearing bowler hats and numberless. more to the point, london out is tremendously diverse.

paris is becoming in admitting that it is more a diversity, and there's a little line for me quite hidden away the says i'm very much a parisian or i'm interested in parisian women, but not quite sure that i ever met a parisian woman. what do you mean by that? >> what i mean is that my education, i have been looking at old movies that i love. we speak about the reputation of the parisian, which was supposed to dress very well. i think that, you know, in france, the eccentricity -- for me, eccentricity is very chic and it is what i love. it is so much about the good taste, which paralyzed. it is still a city where

everybody meets profession, sure, but it is sad that you did not seek only may be in the young people, but you do not see when people are in the rain, let's say, in society, like having the joy to address. like you have to be like the color of the street of paris. you ought not to be remarkable. it is very demanding of the people. so i said to the people, no, we have to be like everyone else. in london, it was completely different, and it still is. more distance that makes them, for me, more fascinating than the french. >> we want to take questions from the audience, but i did

just want to ask you a quick question about your work in movies because that has been so extraordinarily exceptional. i think probably a lot of people -- i know you have been to the academy of arts and all the students, but i wonder how many people in this audience know how involved you have been in the performing arts doing costumes. with whom has it been the you have felt the most extraordinary experience? >> i should say that he is a different experience. i think first, maybe pedro, and very close after, greenway, an english architect, who is very talented.

i must say, one thing is that i was very lucky because all those people i admire for their own work. they were different. for me, it was a fabulous experience to work with them. it was to get into their story and to see of how they are working. i will tell you, for example, one that is -- in real life, let's say, not in the movie like, it is somebody that maybe -- maybe does not address that well, has not so much sense of fashion, is not interested too much in his art, but when it becomes to the movie, first, he will explain to you the movie,

tell you the story he is so much into it, and visually, so much into it. he gets very upset, then he can already imagine how he should like it to be. it is very beautiful because you can see how intent it can be and how the movie becomes a world. it is very specific at some times. for example, the apron of the made from valencia from the 1960's. ok, so i have to go to the market and find one. i not know exactly the apron of the maid of valencia in the 1960's. housewife, sorry.

not a mate. it is not abstract, let's say. but specific in the color, which is absolutely inspiring and fabulous to go into the story. the movie was the cook, the thief, that one -- with helen merrin, who is absolutely fabulous -- helen mirren, fabulous actress. he showed me some painting of rembrandt and said, "uc that? could you do the in modern, in today? and i said i will try. yes, but it is part of the job. so i tried. i worked with a dutch artistic director, and i get to work with him.

he was very specific and fabulous man. also, they were very specific about the color. in reality, they asked me because the color is a little like in the spirit. it is something in common. i was flattered to do that, but it is beautiful to see how much they are -- our work, our demand is to make a beautiful movie. i should not be able to do anything. i never thought about it, but when people ask me, you have to be so clever. >> tom ford made a movie, so why not you? >> because my brain is not that

sure. you have to think about so many things. truly, it is a big work. you have to be strong. you have to take care also of the physiology of the actor which is, like, oh, my god. you can be depressed. also, you see the depression of everybody. i do not want it. i have enough of my own. >> i hope you will be sharp enough to answer the questions the audience has for you. rather like the academy awards. [applause] these questions have come through on various means. can we have the first question? >> the first question -- i am going to compile a group -- a lot of people are asking what is currently inspiring new? from different cultures, the

internet, textile design -- what exciting things are you seeing in contemporary textile design? and what are you reading? >> definitely, that is very sad, but i have not enough time to read. that is the very sad part. so i'm not enough reading, but i'm getting older and getting closer. now that nobody is doing any more reading, i will read. no, i think honestly, it is a question of time, but reading, to bring inspiration, but that is the problem. i get into a book and say that i can make a collection of that after, like, three lines. one time i did an existentialist

collection years ago, and i was thinking, so i read a book to no more, to get into it, and sometimes, the explanation can teach you. i read about it and i learned and understood. so i did the collection with my interpretation. i tried to understand the base, the concept, so it is good. you have to read, definitely. >> creativity is so difficult to define by creative people because you just do it instinctively. you were telling me that last night, something inspired you, and you went back andrew your

next collection until 4:00 a.m. what inspired you? do you know what set it off? >> i think it is image sometimes. one that you do not expect can be also a surprise. it was not the case here today. yesterday during the night, it was more like an image that i have seen or received little and i did not know how to treat it. something making me think about it yesterday. after it came and i wake up, instinctively it came like yes, i could do it like that, so i wrote that to remember, and after i was into it, it was very exciting. yes, i find it because always, you are looking for something, you did not know what. until it becomes more concrete, it gives you -- i need to have

that direction. it is a real pleasure. sometimes also like some things in fashion that you get a reaction, can be somebody walking, moving in a way where there is no pocket, but it should have been a pocket. you see the desire or what should be good. food is visual for me. >> can you think of one single example of something that you saw -- i do not know, a green leaf or something on the internet or something in a movie -- something that directly inspired you that you

were almost drawing a minute later from it. >> i think it was years ago when i did my constructive collection. my graphic assistant had a book with her. i loved everything, but it is like a physical reaction. like if i want to eat it. but he made me think about food. it was truly like a beautiful color. it was constructivist, you know. it was so beautiful. they were so perfect that i wanted to have it all. so i make a photo of all the book, and i wanted to have all around me to get into it and to see through that, so it was --

that is one thing. another thing -- >> one is enough. >> you know what, there is too much selection on the internet. i like the motion, which i mean like surprise. i go somewhere and find something i did not expect, it is there that i have the real shock. i have my reaction. sometimes it does not happen. sometimes it happens late. what i do in that case, i will not tell you. [laughter] >> that might lead to the next question -- what scares you? and then maybe not to be more in love with my were. fashion.

>> maybe you are scared that there might be one day -- i'm sure it will never happen -- when you do not have the energy anymore? that scared of a piece of blank paper and a collection coming up in six weeks -- that does not scare you? >> yes, but i tried to protect myself. for example, i go to a flea market, and nt place. when i see something that i find interesting, even if i have no interest in anything at the moment, i say that one day i will do something from that. i know that there was work on it. i think i have to burn it, because at the end, i take too much time to look at it. but, yes, i mean, to be honest, i think will realize what time that i have no more of the passion, which will mean i will

stop. i think it is better. honestly, before i was doing that profession, because i was not at peace with the fact that i was rejected, so i was inventing a lot of things. at the moment, i started to work -- i finish. because i do the things that i'd love to do, why should i live now. there's no reason to lie? because i am accepted through my work? why should i lie? because i do not want to live again in my old days. but i will always interested in fashion. >> the next question is for both of you -- how is it in the

fashion world for larger size women? >> i will answer this first. i was so happy when beth ditto appeared in one of jean paul's collections. she is a terrific woman and quite rotund in size. i have not quite caught up with her yet, but i certainly am no little stick. i personally thinks one of the things he should be admired for is not to bring the tyranny of fashion to women. he has, as he has explained, done a lot for diversity in terms of skintight but also diversity of styles and shapes, and i think that was the reason for a round of applause. [applause]

>> there is one diversity also which is important, age. i should explain because you know in fashion, a terrible because there is always racism about age. one of the races and is in fashion which i am absolutely against. how could i be against age when i have a grandmother that let me do anything and what it, gave me optimism and positivity? i think people that are old and have experience, you can learn a lot from them, and there are maybe sometimes more sweet than the grandparents. i think age also is something important. i remember, i wanted to do what a collection one time with only old people, and they told me not to do that because we do not like to