3D printing has made its way onto one of fashion’s biggest stages. Jean Paul Gaultier used additive manufacturing (AM) to help create several pieces for 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 collection for the French fashion house, and he used AM to create parts of the garments, including a flexible sculpted bustier, thousands of individual scales, and the structure beneath a feather-covered dress.
French 3D printing service provider Sculpteo worked with the Jean Paul Gaultier team to manufacture the parts, using technologies including selective laser sintering (SLS) and Multi Jet Fusion (MJF). In recent social media posts, Jean Paul Gaultier and Sculpteo have been sharing a closer look at the pieces and highlighting the artisans and manufacturing techniques behind them.
From a 3D Printed Bustier to Thousands of Scales
One of the clearest examples can be seen in the collection’s seventh outfit, referred to by the brand as Look 7. It features a 3D printed bustier with a “deformed” shape. Sculpteo produced the flexible structure using MJF 3D printing and TPU.
“The flexibility of TPU combined with the design freedom of additive manufacturing made it possible to create this unique organic form,” states the official Jean Paul Gaultier LinkedIn post.
The combination makes sense for clothing. TPU is flexible, allowing the printed structure to move with the wearer. At the same time, 3D printing gives designers the freedom to create unusual shapes that would be difficult to produce using traditional methods.
Look 19 takes a completely different approach. Instead of printing one large structure, Sculpteo produced thousands of individual scales. Each was 3D printed from PA12 using SLS and then assembled to form a flexible surface covering the body.
The result is almost reptilian. The thousands of individual parts can move together to create a flexible structure once assembled.
“Another look where additive manufacturing meets Haute Couture,” Sculpteo said when it revealed the project on social. “Manufactured in SLS PA12, each scale was precisely 3D printed before being assembled into a striking, articulated surface. Together, they create a fluid silhouette with a sculptural, reptile-like texture that moves naturally with the body.”
3D Printing Finds a Different Role in Fashion
Look 26 shows yet another way to use the technology. For this piece, Sculpteo produced a flexible 3D printed structure that became part of an elaborate pink feather dress. The feathers were added by Maison Février, one of Paris’ most renowned featherwork houses. Founded in 1929, the atelier has worked with major fashion houses including Christian Dior and Hermès. It has also created feather pieces for the Moulin Rouge since 1957 and was acquired by the famous Paris cabaret in 2009.
This combination brings together two very different ways of making things: a nearly century-old Parisian craft and industrial 3D printing. This makes the piece even more fascinating.
Here, the 3D printing is much harder to see. And that may be another interesting part of the project. 3D printing in fashion is often meant to be seen. The unusual shapes and materials become part of the design. In Look 26, however, the 3D printing is mostly hidden. The printed structure gives the dress its shape, while the feathers create the finished look. That makes the printer less of a spectacle and more of a manufacturing tool.
Fashion designers have experimented with 3D printing for years, but Jean Paul Gaultier’s collection shows how the technology can play very different roles. Here, it was used to make flexible TPU structures, thousands of individual PA12 parts, and even hidden structures beneath traditional materials like feathers. SLS, MJF, PA12, and TPU are already well-established in industrial 3D printing; what is different is how they are being used.
In some of these pieces, you might never know a 3D printer was involved. So, 3D printing can just give designers another way to create it.