Castelbajac dressed the likes of Farrah Fawcett and Elton John. Courtesy V&A

Katie Allen headed to the V&A to discover the work of visionary fashion designer, JC Castelbajac.

“I didn’t know if I wanted to be a singer, an actor or a fashion designer. I just knew I wanted to start a revolution.”

So said JC de Castelbajac, who, luckily for the fashion industry, decided on the third employment option.

His highly successful career is the subject of a new exhibition at the V&A, showing until May 1 2006. Popaganda: The Fashion & Style of JC de Castelbajac celebrates four decades of flamboyant creations from the rebel who ended up working with MaxMara and Courrèges and dressing the likes of Farrah Fawcett and Elton John.

Hello Kitty dress. Childhood inspired many of his creations, and he used cartoon-characters in his work. Courtesy V&A

Organised around the designer’s many enthusiasms, the exhibition is an exciting mishmash of styles and shapes, incorporating his forays into furniture design and fashion accessories.

Born in 1949 to French parents, Castelbajac was sent to a severe military boarding school at the age of five, and many of his designs are a reaction to his bleak upbringing.

A camouflage section includes a parachute-fabric dress and military jackets made in 1967 as a protest against the Vietnam War. Other designs are formed from recycled oilcloth, sponges and floorcloths, plus a coat poignantly made from his boarding-school blanket.

His famous teddybear outfit was a reaction to his harsh upbringing and has been worn by the likes of Madonna as an anti-fur statement. Courtesy V&A

After he met Vivienne Westwood, Malcolm McLaren and the New York Dolls in the 1970s, Castelbajac’s aesthetic was transformed to include more vibrant colours and surface decoration.

Comic book designs appear in Keith Haring and Roy Lichtenstein-inspired linear patterns, such as the fabulous bright orange ‘Physical Graffitti’ catsuit with its ‘Badaboum!’ belt. Another must-see example is the red robes with rainbow-striped cross he created for the Pope in 1997.

Castelbajac returned to the inspiration of childhood with dresses printed with Tinkerbell and characters from Pokemon and South Park, while Snoopy and Mickey Mouse appear on T-shirts and jumpers.

Castelbajac pioneered the precursors of 'puffa' jackets in 1976. Courtesy V&A

The extraordinary teddybear coats that open the exhibition are his most famous reaction to the austerity he experienced. Denied toys as a child, Castelbajac sculpted a Noah’s Ark jacket from stuffed-toy pandas, elephants, and lions with a giraffe sprouting from one shoulder.

His famous Teddy Bear Coat, made from dozens of black teddy bears, was worn as a humorous alternative to fur by the likes of Madonna in the 1980s.

Perhaps the most striking designs are those that play with form and texture. A particularly innovative and oddly sinister outfit is a giant red poncho made to incorporate two people, with options of pockets to include the rest of the family.

Andy Warhol inspired this Pop Art creation. Courtesy V&A

Castelbajac also pioneered the precursors of 'puffa' jackets back in 1976 with a plastic jacket filled with brightly coloured feathers.

He reached the zenith of Pop Art in his homage to that worshipper of celebrity, Andy Warhol. Castelbajac’s designs are printed with Warhol-inspired images of the Beatles, Jackie Kennedy, Hendrix and Monroe, while consumerism is satirised in a collection of Coca Cola and Campbell’s Soup dresses.

Andy Warhol himself once said: “Everything is beautiful. Pop is everything,” a comment JC de Castelbajac would probably have agreed with.