Creative Mind: Simon Porte Jacquemus
He’s become known for conceptual yet wearable designs and theatrical runway shows
Simon Porte Jacquemus launched his Jacquemus label ten years ago, at the tender age of 19, and with almost no formal training. (He studied at the École Supérieure des Arts et Techniques de la Mode in Paris for less than a year but was disillusioned by his brief tenure there and chose to leave and start his own line after the death of his mother.) The first piece he designed—a skirt—was made by a seamstress who owned a curtain shop. (She charged him a hundred euros.) It was an unlikely choice, but one made out of necessity.
The same can be said for his decision to work in retail: Jacquemus persuaded Comme des Garçons CEO Adrian Joffe to give him a job at one of the brand’s boutiques so he could fund his own collection, which he created in the evenings. Joffe and Comme des Garçons creative director Rei Kawakubo later bought his line for Dover Street Market, thereby launching the Provence native’s career.
In the years since, he’s become known for conceptual yet wearable designs, shows that are open to the public, and the occasional theatrical moment, like the time he walked a live horse down the runway. His women’s collection, which includes shoes, handbags, and jewelry, received an artful infusion for Spring, when he teamed up with buzzworthy painter and sculptor Chloe Wise to illustrate his Spring campaign. Jacquemus’s first-ever men’s collection, Le Gadjo, made its retail debut last spring.
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A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2019 Spring Issue under the headline Creative Minds. Subscribe to the magazine.