Marc Jacobs, charismatic and offbeat.
Fun, trashy and chic - that's how Marc Jacobs himself describes his collections. In thirty years this creative genius has experienced a meteoric rise, casually leaving his mark on every possible aspect of both womenswear and menswear, from ready-to-wear to accessories, even venturing into beauty products.
A young talent with a bold persona.
With a passion for fashion from early childhood, it was only natural for New Yorker Marc Jacobs to set his sights on a prestigious school, the Parsons School of Design. He graduated from Parsons in 1984 with an excellent honours degree courtesy of his end-of-studies project, a hand-knitted collection of oversized jumpers with bright pink smileys. Just after leaving, he met businessman Robert Duffy, with whom he founded Jacobs Duffy Designs Inc. The collaboration enabled the designer to present his first clothing line and, at the same time, carry off the Perry Ellis Award given each year to the best emerging talent. As early as 1989, the two partners join the creative direction of the American label of the same name, but the grungy collection that Marc Jacobs designed there at the beginning of the 1990's did not receive universal acclaim. Marc Jacobs was fired in 1992, but that didn't stop fashion critics loving him. Against all odds, he received the designer of the year award a few months later - a historic event in the life of the young prodigy, that would launch his career once and for all.
Since then the genius designer has launched numerous labels, always just as successfully. We were thus able to discover his fun, trashy and chic sides through Marc Jacobs and the couture ready-to-wear Marc by Marc Jacobs for the creation of more casual, accessible clothing, Little Marc Jacobs for children and, more recently, Marc Jacobs Beauty for make up. Marc Jacob's stamp is also apparent in the lines of footwear, bags, glasses, watches, jewellery and perfumes.
Between the elegance of Vuitton and the relaxed vibe of Jacobs.
The career of the designer who has won the most awards in the history of fashion, is closely linked to the Louis Vuitton fashion house, with whom he spent sixteen years collaborating as creative director. There, influenced by works by artists like Yayoi Kusama, Takashi Murakami and Stephen Sprouse, he happily revisited the famous French monogram. In parallel with this adventure, which came to an end in 2013, Marc Jacobs continued to develop his empire, today composed of some 280 boutiques established in around sixty countries. It is alongside scriptwriter and director Sofia Coppola that Marc Jacobs was at his most successful. The arty mindset of his friend and muse perfectly reflect the essence of the US brand - unpredictable, full of energy and fun, occasionally offbeat, always visionary. As a brazen nod to the codes of luxury that he adores shaking up, the latest in his line of muses is no other than Frances Kobain, daughter of the grungy couple formed by Courtney Love and the leader of rock band Nirvana.
Catching the eye of celebrities as far removed as Victoria Beckham and Jared Leto, Marc Jacobs keeps his sassy collections coming one after the other and continues to surprise us. Amongst his iconic pieces, we'd like to highlight: