The fashion executive, a known talent spotter who discovered Alber Elbaz, said he perceives ‘tremendous potential for growth’ at the Parisian fashion house.

‘He’s by far the most talented designer of his generation,’ Toledano told WWD of Gaultier. ‘There’s no one who can interpret the Parisian better than Jean Paul. The business could be more important than it is today. That’s the challenge.’

Gaultier brand owner Puig expects Toledano to add to his remit a year from now. Toledano will also continue his work as the chairman of St John, a position to which he was appointed last August.

Puig, a fashion and beauty investment group that also owns and , acquired a majority stake in Gaultier in May 2011 with plans to build the label into a major international player.

‘Puig is not only playing in fashion just to say we own the business but because we want to develop the fashion,’ Manuel Puig, vice chairman of the family-owned company, said. ‘In the long term, growing the fashion is key for the survival of a brand, and we want to be the owners of our destiny.’