Jean Paul Gaultier leaves Hermès

The French fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier (58) leaves the French luxury fashion house Hermès. After seven years of cooperation, he wanted to concentrate once more on his own projects, Hermes said, according to a report of the fashion magazine "Vogue" (online edition with). "Hermès, Jean-Paul Gaultier deeply grateful for the extraordinary creative contribution he has made," reads the official statement of the fashion house. The spring-summer collection in 2011 was the last under the direction Gaultier. He had taken over the position of creative director in 2003 by the Belgian designer Martin Margiela (57) and to modernize the conservative image of the brand.