The Linen Lounge Spotlight: Marc Jacobs

A Modern Visionary in a Traditional World

While still in elementary school, a young man named Marc Jacobs decided he wanted to become a designer. With the help of his sister and grandmother, he gained his first insights into fashion and clothing construction. As he grew in age, so did his love for fashion, and in his mid-teens, he worked in boutiques and even met Perry Ellis. He graduated from the High School for Art and Design in New York, and then eventually studied at Parsons School of Art and Design, where he won the Perry Ellis Gold Thimble Award. Jacobs soon became Vice President of Womenswear at Perry Ellis, but his tenure there was short. His new, modern approach was not favored by the Perry Ellis group, and he was subsequently laid off. Interestingly enough, he won the CDFA Womenswear Designer of the Year award that same year. In 1994, he launched his first collection under his own name, and created a stir when supermodels Naomi Campbell and Linda Evangelista (who were known for their $10,000 per show price tag) walked for Marc Jacobs absolutely free, in support of this visionary.

From New Designer to Legend in the Making

In 1997, Marc Jacobs was named creative director at Louis Vuitton, and remains so to this day. In 2001, Jacobs launched his diffusion line, Marc by Marc Jacobs, which quickly gained popularity among young people and fashion connoisseurs alike. Vogue also reports that Marc by Marc Jacobs is one of the first diffusion lines that has threatened to overshadow the mainline collection. Jacobs has made Louis Vuitton a modern, rejuvenated brand, restored to it's former glory, all while keeping his own two lines at the head of the fashion world. Lovers of fashion all around the world from Anna Wintour to Winona Ryder (who was caught stealing his clothes from a Saks Fifth Avenue) flock to the boutiques to get Jacobs work.





At the same time, Marc Jacobs does not fit the profile of many past designers. In the mid 2000s, he underwent a major image overhaul, and he does not shy away from the limelight. He is notorious for starting his fashion shows late, and while this may be an issue for several designers, no one will complain, because his designs make up for it. He has been quoted saying that he wants to star in his own reality show, and in early 2007, he was admitted to rehab for treatment of drug and alcohol abuse.

Marc Jacobs Spring 2008

His latest collection (Spring 2008) sparked a bit of confusion and intrigue, as he showed an entire 'backwards' collection. Starting two (some report three) hours after it's scheduled starting time, Jacobs came out onto the runway first and took his bow, then his models all came out in finale formation, and then finally came out individually. In addition to the backwards program of the fashion show, the clothing was quite skewed as well (the backward heel, for example). Don't take our word for it, see for yourself.







Marc by Marc Jacobs RTW Spring 2008

"I'd like to believe that the women who wear my clothes are not dressing for other people, that they're wearing what they like and what suits them. It's not a status thing. "
- Marc Jacobs

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