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Jean Paul Gaultier’s 1992 concept art offers a glimpse of an early costume idea for Prince as Ruby Rhod in The Fifth Element: a netted outfit, long body hair showing through, and a padded rear. It is a proposal from the film’s early development—not a costume seen in the 1997 movie, where Chris Tucker played Ruby Rhod.
What the concept art shows
The Fashion History Timeline at the Fashion Institute of Technology identifies the work as “Concept art for Ruby Rhod, 1992” and credits it to Jean Paul Gaultier. The surviving descriptions point to a comic, deliberately provocative design. Gaultier’s account, relayed by Première, describes netting intended to let long body hair show through, with the design drawn from front and back and a padded rear.
That description gives a sense of the idea, but it does not establish every detail of a complete wardrobe or exactly how the look would have appeared on screen. The drawing documents a proposal, not a finished costume.
Why Prince was connected to Ruby Rhod
Prince was attached to the role during an early version of the film. Jean Paul Gaultier later recalled making drawings for that casting, but said they did not lead to a costume collaboration. In a 2017 Vogue interview, he said: “I had done my drawings [but] nothing came of it—except a very funny meeting with Prince—and I had forgotten about it.”
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Accounts of why Prince did not continue differ, and should be kept distinct. FIT’s Fashion History Timeline reports that Prince turned the role down because he found Gaultier’s original designs too effeminate, citing Loriot, p. 383. Première relays Gaultier’s recollection that director Luc Besson later told him Prince had found the design too effeminate. Première also reports that Besson publicly gave scheduling reasons for Prince’s departure. The available accounts do not establish Prince’s own first-person explanation.
How the proposal differs from the released film
| Production stage | Performer intended or cast | What is documented |
|---|---|---|
| Early development, 1992 concept art | Prince was attached to Ruby Rhod in an early version | Gaultier’s proposed netted look, long body hair showing through, and a padded rear, as described by Première |
| Released film, 1997 | Chris Tucker played Ruby Rhod | Gaultier’s finished-film designs; FIT describes the released Ruby Rhod looks as combining masculine- and feminine-coded motifs |
The comparison matters: the released costume’s visual language should not be treated as a description of Prince’s proposed look. Gaultier revised his designs as the project moved forward with Milla Jovovich, Bruce Willis, and Tucker. FIT’s discussion of masculine- and feminine-coded motifs refers to the finished film, not automatically to the Prince concept sketch. See the FIT Fashion History Timeline entry for its account of the film’s costume design.
Rank #2
Where to see more production art
Titan Books lists The Fifth Element: A Visual Retrospective, ISBN 9781835411940, as a 270-page hardback published September 15, 2026. Its publisher description promises photography, concept art, blueprints, props, costumes, the original script, and creative anecdotes. Neither the listing nor the available description confirms that this particular Ruby Rhod/Prince sketch appears in the book, so it is a broader production-art resource rather than a verified source for this sheet. See the Titan Books listing or the Penguin Random House Comics Retail listing.
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