Michel Gaubert

Getting the music right for a catwalk show is crucial – not only does it have to set the tone for the collection, but it also has to help hold the attention of a discerning crowd who have already seen forty shows that week. Needless to say there is one man who the designers turn to who is sure to pick their perfect soundtrack – DJ Michel Gaubert.
Paris born and bred, Gaubert developed a passion for music at an early age and started an epic vinyl collection when he was in his teens. By the late 1970s and 1980s he was a much-requested DJ, rubbing shoulders with the great and the good of the world of fashion and forging friendships with the hottest designers in town. Such was his talent and reputation that in 1991 Karl Lagerfeld asked Gaubert to soundtrack his latest Chanel show – and more gigs were soon to follow. In fact the list of labels that Gaubert has worked for reads like a who’s who of the fashion world; Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld, Raf Simons, Balenciaga, Y-3, Dries Van Noten, Sonia Rykiel, Lacoste and Christian Lacroix to name but a few have all benefited from his musical expertise.
The talents of this DJ, sound designer and all round music oracle are also hotly in demand away from the catwalk. He is responsible for the cult compilations for uber-cool Paris store Colette, and also has a blog on the brand’s site. And he has collaborated with luxe handbag label Longchamp on a mini collection of DJ bags.
He is still official sound stylist for Chanel and long-term collaborator of Karl Lagerfeld, a man who famously owns even more i-pods than Gaubert – we’d love to listen to a conversation about music between the pair. Pioneers of new music, together they were responsible for propelling Ladyhawke to the tops of the most fashionable playlists – and we can’t wait to see what who they’re tuned in to come September.

By Emma Sells