Simon Porte Jacquemus
Designer, Jacquemus
The self-taught designer’s playful collections has earned him a finalist spot and a special prize for the LVMH Prize in 2014 and 2015 respectively.
Simon Porte Jacquemus started his own label when he was 19. Credited with bringing a freshness to Paris’ fashion scene, his collections are deconstructed, surrealist and often "NSFW." Jacquemus takes archetypal French concepts like the Breton stripe and spins them on their head, working in the space between commercial and conceptual. He cites the Japanese brand Comme des Garçons as one of his referential points.
Jacquemus moved to Paris when he was 18 and briefly enrolled at the École Supérieure des Arts et techniques de la Mode. In 2009, a year after the passing of his mother, he launched his label under her maiden name, Jacquemus. He began working at the Comme des Garçons store in 2011 to finance his business, after gaining the support of Rei Kawakubo and Adrian Joffe .
His collections have a child-like spirit and sense of freedom, often featuring asymmetrical designs, oversized "stiff" silhouettes, experimental makeup and shoeless or topless models. The designer has his own studio off the Place des Vosges in Le Marais. In 2017, he was invited by the Maison Méditerranéenne des Métiers de la Mode to stage a catwalk in his native Marseille and his Spring/Summer 2018 collection, entitled "La Bomba," was picked up by some of the world's biggest retailers including Selfridges, Moda Operandi and Net-a-Porter. He has also launched a collection of footwear and handbags, as well as a men's line.
Jacquemus has a strong social media presence, helped by playful presentation of his images on Instagram, which he runs himself. In this vein, he published a photography book in tandem with the Spring/Summer 2014 collection — "La Grande Motte" — a reference to the Languedoc-Roussilon’s seaside resort and his experiences there as a child.
His playful approach to pushing the boundaries of French fashion has earned him a finalist spot and a special prize at the LVMH Prize in 2014 and 2015 respectively.
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