Jean Paul Gaultier Puts 3D-Printed Sculpts on the Haute Couture Runway

3D Printing Walks the Runway

Jean Paul Gaultier used additive manufacturing for five outfits in its Fall/Winter 2026-2027 Haute Couture collection, which debuted in Paris in July. The collection marked creative director Duran Lantink's first haute couture show for the French fashion house, and 3D printing appears in some unexpected places.

French service provider Sculpteo manufactured the parts using HP Multi Jet Fusion and selective laser sintering. The results include a sculpted bustier, thousands of tiny scales, and a hidden structure beneath a feather dress.

Look 7: The Flexible Bustier

The seventh outfit features a bustier with a deformed, organic shape. Sculpteo printed the base in TPU using MJF. The material stays flexible while letting designers create shapes that would be hard to make with traditional methods. The final piece was sanded, primed, and hand-finished with multiple latex dipping cycles to match a skin-like surface.

Look 19: Thousands of Scales

Look 19 takes a different approach. Instead of one large part, Sculpteo printed thousands of individual scales from PA12 using SLS. Each scale was assembled by hand into a flexible surface that moves with the body. The effect is reptilian and remarkably lightweight.

Look 26: Hidden Structure

The pink feather dress in Look 26 hides the 3D printing entirely. Sculpteo produced a flexible TPU structure that gives the dress its shape, while feathers from Paris atelier Maison Février create the finished look. Here the printer acts as a manufacturing tool rather than a spectacle.

What It Means

3D printing in fashion is not new, but Gaultier's collection shows the technology in multiple roles at once. It can be the star of the show or it can stay invisible underneath traditional materials. SLS and MJF are established industrial processes; the difference is how designers are using them now.