JEAN-CHARLES DE CASTELBAJAC by Thames & Hudson

JCC by Marie-Laure de Decker - Courtesy the Jean-Charles de Castelbajac archives

On November 12, 2026, Thames & Hudson is publishing Jean-Charles de Castelbajac, the definitive monograph on the pioneering French designer. Castelbajac rewrote the fashion's traditional codes in the 1970s with a focus on accumulation, appropriation and the alternative use of objects. From teddy-bear coats to two-person ponchos and leather modelled after tree bark, he always explored fashion's playful and experimental possibilities.

Jean-Charles de Castelbajac in Limoges at the Valmont Ateliers, 1966 - Courtesy the Jean-Charles de Castelbajac archives

Drawing by Karl Lagerfeld, 1993 - Courtesy the Jean-Charles de Castelbajac archives

Jean-Charles de Castelbajac fashion show SS 1985 - Courtesy the Jean-Charles de Castelbajac archives

Lady Gaga 'Telephone', Courtesy the Archives of Jean-Charles de Castelbajac

First concept store, 31 Place du Marché Saint Honoré, Paris, 1976 - Photo Jean-Claude SauerParis Match via Getty Images

Jean-Charles de Castelbajac fashion show 'L'armoir de Gulliver' - courtesy the Jean-Charles de Castelbajac archive

JCC, 'Keith Haring', drawing, 2007 - Courtesy the Jean-Charles de Castelbajac archives