I was out shopping for Valentine’s day, and I ran into this guy at a gift shop on Piedmont Ave. He was dressed in an unseasonably skimpy top, but the detail that truly caught my attention was his sailor stripes! I have been obsessed with Gaultier since I saw the designer’s retrospective at the De Young Museum, and Gaultier is obsessed with (or at least heavily influenced by) Jean Genet. In honor of Gaultier’s obsessions and my own, I created my own unique design, the Jean Genet sailor shirt, with a classic photo of the iconic French writer showing through the stripes on this gentleman’s shirt. The background is an excerpt from Journal du voleur (Thief’s Journal), the author’s most famous book.

For another homage to Gaultier and the French sailor shirt, follow this link to 1001 Black Men–#468.

Ajuan Mance