Fashion Lesson Friday: Marc Jacobs

Happy Friday, Fashionistas! For this week’s lesson, we’re going to talk about Marc Jacobs! Marc is an American fashion designer paving the way in the American and Global fashion industry for over 30 years. Let's jump right in:

Born in New York City in 1963, Marc Jacobs has always been immersed in one of the world’s epicenters for fashion. His father died at a young age, which sent his mother into a tailspin, marrying three times in a matter of a few years. As a teenager, he went to live with his paternal grandmother on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. “I always say I lived my life with my grandmother. She was emotionally stable, and she was very encouraging to me,” Marc told New York Magazine in 2005.

            Attending the High School of Art and Design, he began working as a stockboy at a clothing boutique. He earned a coveted spot at Parsons New School of Design. In his final year at school, he won three of the school’s most prestigious awards including Design Student of the Year, the Perry Ellis Gold Thimble Award and the Chester Weinberg Gold Thimble Award.

            His sweater line at that that Parson’s fashion show caught the attention of many designers and kick started his career. In 1987 he became the youngest designer ever to receive the Council of Fashion Designers of America's Perry Ellis Award for New Fashion Talent. He then when to work alongside Tom Ford at Perry Ellis and is known as helping coin the “grudge” look of spring/summer 1993.

Throughout his career, Marc has sought help in rehab for drug and alcohol related addiction. “It’s cliché, but when I drank I was taller, funnier, smarter, cooler.” Big name fashion friends like Anna Wintour and Naomi Campbell encouraged him to seek help, which he did in both 1999 and again in a relapse in 2007.

            In 1997, he was hired as a designer for Louis Vuitton, tasked with creating the luggage company’s first ready-to-wear fashion line. Marc is responsible for transforming the organization and quadrupling their profits in his tenure.

As of 2011 the CFDA had crowned Jacobs Womenswear Designer of the Year three times, Accessory Designer of the Year four times and Menswear designer of the Year once. He is known for coining “street wise aesthetics” which create a mash up of a little preppy, a little grungey, and a little couture. His unique avante garde advertisements also caught attention for their unique style.

 

As of the Summer 2013, there were 285 Marc Jacobs retail stores (including Marc by Marc Jacobs & Marc Jacobs Collection) in 60 countries. In that same year, he left Louis Vuitton in order to focus on expanding his brands of fashion, accessories, fragrances, and now beauty. The fact that he stayed there for so long while also working on his own ventures is really fascinating.

In addition to all of his success, Marc also has an ongoing project to raise awareness about melanoma called, "Protect The Skin You're In." The project has celebrities, such as Miley Cyrus, Eva Mendes, Heidi Klum, Victoria Beckman and many more pose nude for T-shirts and all sales benefit research at the NYU Langone Medical Center.

Thanks for reading! Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram.

This article was written by Alexandria Nevarez on October 09, 2020.