Now in Munich: The fashion world of Jean Paul Gaultier

Fashion is about desire, designer Jean Paul Gaultier once said. And that's something he knows how to play with: His imaginative creations aren't made for the office or the playground, but for the catwalk. "I'd never have gone into fashion if it weren't for the models," Gaultier confessed. An exhibition of his work is now on show for the last time - at the Kunsthalle Munich.

The show recently visited the historic Grand Palais in Paris, and drew more than 420,000 visitors. There, he pulled out a few special gems from his collection, including this black tulle dress. It was modeled in 2014 by Eurovision Song Contest winner Conchita Wurst, a transvestite entertainer from Austria.

Gaultier had no formal training as a fashion designer, but he knew what he wanted. He boldly sent sketches to the most prestigious fashion labels in Paris, his home city - and it worked. Pierre Cardin took him on as an assistant in 1970, marking the beginning of his glamorous career. Six years later, Gaultier introduced the first collection of his own.

Every big designer has a trademark. For Gaultier, it was stripes - particularly striped sailor shirts, as worn here by photographers Pierres and Gilles at the opening of the exhibition. Gaultier was inspired by Rainer Werner Fassbinder's "Querelle" (1982), a cult movie in the gay scene about a handsome and devious Belgian sailor. Sailor outfits became a staple in Gaultier's collections.

Even among the extravagant fashion crowd, Gaultier is considered over-the-top. He soaks up influences from art, music, film, and pop culture and transforms them into wearable creations. The Paris retrospective focuses on three decades of fashion history, including the punk era (pictured). Gaultier resisted the idea of a retrospective at first: Now 63, he was much too young.

These haute-couture gowns reveal Gaultier's both flashy and elegant sides. He was the first to send androgynous models onto the catwalk and design scoop necks and skirts for men. He said he's always appreciated beauty that is unique. "You shouldn't hide behind fashion, but show yourself."

For a designer who creatively plays with color and material, parrot feathers are the perfect inspiration. As a child, Gaultier often spent time in his grandmother's beauty salon and observed everything that can be done with makeup. He works not only with ultra slender models, but also with older women and even overweight girls with piercings.

Gaultier's daring designs came to represent the radical liberation of provocative femininity. Some of these examples are on show in Paris. The designer has created concert wear for top celebrities like Beyoncé and Madonna. Pictured here is the bullet bra Madonna wore during her 1990 "Blond Ambition" tour, which turned heads even in the boundary-breaking world of pop music.

The exhibition, entitled "Jean Paul Gaultier - From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk," has already been a huge success at its other locations. In addition to outfits, Gaultier's sketches, personal photos and drawings are also on display, along with video clips outlining his path to fame.

Jean Paul Gaultier also has a special relationship to film. In 2012 he was in the jury (pictured) at the Cannes Film Festival. He said he was particularly inspired by directors like Pedro Aldovar and Luc Besson. "I work with artists, but I'm not one," he once said. The show in Munich, which runs through February 14, 2016, will likely prove the contrary.