Jean Paul Gautier Exhibit

I was recently in San Francisco, perfect timing to catch the last few days of the traveling Jean Paul Gautier exhibit.  I admittedly love fashion - it's artwork to me - but to see a museum exhibit of it can feel a bit too much.  But after having seen the Valentino documentary and online museum over and over again, I've started to appreciate fashion as exhibit art more and more.  And Gautier is as much an artist as he is a fashion designer in my book.

I have to say that the man did not disappoint.  Of course years of being a Madonna fan didn't hurt, since they were amazing collaborators together.  Guess I didn't really need "together" there, did I?

The exhibit is moving around the country, so if you get a chance to see it GO GO GO.  It's the epitome of a brand experience, in retrospective, that needs to be enjoyed.  If all you know of Gautier are the headlines he makes (which are pretty bad in some cases), you do need to see his impact on a very creative industry and on our pop culture despite himself ... from the "sidewalk to the catwalk" as he says.

Sponsored by Nordstrom ... good move.

What's your experience?  Jim.

Jim Joseph
President, Cohn & Wolfe North America
Author, The Experience Effect series
Professor, NYU