Marc Jacobs (1963-Present)
Marc Jacobs is one of the biggest American fashion designers and is considered one of the most influential designers of his time. He is the head designer for his own brands Marc Jacobs, and Marc by Marc Jacobs. He also is the head designer for Louis Vuitton and is one of the main reasons why Louis Vuitton is such a successful high-end brand today. I adore Marc Jacobs because he always brings something new to the table. I chose him because I truly think he has made such an impact on the fashion industry and is a living example of pushing limits.
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Biography
Marc Jacobs was born April 9th, 1963 in New York
City. When he was seven, his father died of ulcerative colitis, which is a condition
that Jacobs also struggled with later on, and his whole world changed from
that point. His mother dealt with the death in a negative manner and went on numerous dates all the time and having unsuccessful marriages. Jacobs and his
siblings constantly moved around between each failed marriage and after a
while, Jacobs had enough. He moved in with his grandmother in Manhattan and
this is where he began developing his personality and fashion taste. His grandmother
was loving and encouraged Jacobs to do whatever he pleased to do. He once
said a quote about living with his grandma,
"No one ever said 'no' to me about anything, No one ever told me anything was wrong.
Never. No one ever said, 'You can't be a fashion designer.' No one ever said, 'You're a boy and
you can't take tap-dancing lessons.' No one ever said, 'You're a boy and you can't have long hair.
' No one ever said, 'You can't go out at night because you're 15 and 15-year-olds don't go to nightclubs.
' No one said it was wrong to be gay or right to be straight" (Bio.com).
He was always out and exploring the world which is something his grandma wanted. Despite his free spirit, he always stayed focused on his dream goal – to become an important fashion designer. He went to the High School of Art and Design when he was fifteen and later on graduated from Parsons School of Design at twenty one. Marc Jacobs was born to be an influential fashion designer from the very start. It is often rare that famous fashion designers start off wanting to be in the fashion industry when they are young. He won many awards and obtained successful jobs. But after releasing a “grunge” line for Perry Ellis that the company disliked, Jacobs teamed up with longtime business partner Robert Duffy and created the Marc Jacobs label.
"No one ever said 'no' to me about anything, No one ever told me anything was wrong.
Never. No one ever said, 'You can't be a fashion designer.' No one ever said, 'You're a boy and
you can't take tap-dancing lessons.' No one ever said, 'You're a boy and you can't have long hair.
' No one ever said, 'You can't go out at night because you're 15 and 15-year-olds don't go to nightclubs.
' No one said it was wrong to be gay or right to be straight" (Bio.com).
He was always out and exploring the world which is something his grandma wanted. Despite his free spirit, he always stayed focused on his dream goal – to become an important fashion designer. He went to the High School of Art and Design when he was fifteen and later on graduated from Parsons School of Design at twenty one. Marc Jacobs was born to be an influential fashion designer from the very start. It is often rare that famous fashion designers start off wanting to be in the fashion industry when they are young. He won many awards and obtained successful jobs. But after releasing a “grunge” line for Perry Ellis that the company disliked, Jacobs teamed up with longtime business partner Robert Duffy and created the Marc Jacobs label.
In 1997, Marc Jacobs became the creative director for Louis Vuitton which was a colossal professional advance for him. But along with the success of his new position, comes more pressure and stress. Jacobs started using heavy drugs such as cocaine and heroin and later on checked himself into rehab in 1999. After he cleaned up, he focused on nothing but his designs and expanded his label which now has two adult lines and one children’s. He stayed on the right path and won many more awards including some from The Council of Fashion Designers in America. He is currently happily married to Lorenzo Martone and is still designing for his own label and Louis Vuitton today.
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Critical Analysis
The early 1990’s gave way to a new trend called “grunge” and designer Marc Jacobs lead this hype. He was even named “The Guru of Grunge” due to his major influences in his designs. Many people were amazed how quickly this grunge trend took over even with its vile meaning of filth and trash, but it evidentially became a new culture. The look was all about rebellion and angst, originating from grunge rock and transferring itself onto the fashion scene. Jacobs is well known for his amazing ability to corporate the zeitgeist of the times into his designs and execute it brilliantly. When he released his grunge line for Perry Ellis with top models dressed in unlaced combat boots, mixed-matched prints, and greased up hair, people were stunned but loved the look, including Women’s Wear Daily who dubbed Jacobs the name “Guru of Grunge.” Jacobs called it, “A hippied romantic version of punk” (New York Times). Jacobs loves experimenting with patterns and clashing them together, eventually making his use of the flannel shirt the core of the grunge style.
Jacobs is a genius at taking street style and incorporate it into high-end fashion for the runway. He does not look to others in the fashion industry for inspiration, but more of the average person and what they are currently wearing. This is why Jacobs collection is based off one certain aesthetic for one season, and a completely new aesthetic for the next. Since trends are always changing, so do Jacob’s runway shows and collections. He is known for making high-end casual wear and not so much evening wear or couture. He makes clothes so that anyone can wear his designs. He uses colors to create a story and is not afraid to use the brightest colors he can find. He likes his designs to capture your attention and stand out among the crowd. He enjoys playing up his collection with past, present, and future pieces to keep things interesting. To this day, he still includes grunge wear into his designs and shows.
Marc Jacobs is an icon not just because of his designs, but also because of his personality. He is known to be a wild-child who creates just as much controversy as he does with amazing collections. He often wears kilts to his runway shows and dresses up in ridiculous costumes at parties and other events. His designs truly reflect the person he is with its street-sleek look and cutting edge styles. He is in charge of Louis Vuitton and his own brand which are opposite of each other. It would be difficult for others to create two completely different looks but Jacobs has been successful so far. He is able to execute the look Louis Vuitton is about yet keep his strong vision for his own two brands, Marc Jacobs and Marc by Marc Jacobs. He reacts in a whim and creates garments that are stunning statements that appeals to almost everybody. He incorporates a profuse amount of culture, history, street, colors, and quality into his creations and it pays off because his runway shows are typically the most anticipated shows every year. He takes in what events or zeitgeist of the times currently are and transforms it into ready-to-wear fashion. Jacobs is able to create sexy dresses one minute and then create innocent pieces the next, and his ability to combine such elements successfully and beautifully is the reason why he is an icon.
Analysis of Future Trends
Marc Jacobs is still creating hot new trends to this day. He is still the creative director of Louis Vuitton for fifteen years now and his two brands are still a success. He is considering one of the most successful fashion designers today and there are even spectacles that he might be offered the creative director seat for Dior soon. Jacobs is a mastermind in business as well because he always knows what will sell and what people want to wear. With his focus on casual-wear, he can reach an audience who is more likely to purchase and wear his designs more frequently. With such talent, it is hard for other designers to not be influenced by his designs. His flannel print is still being used today on the streets and on the runway. Jacobs love for mix matching patterns caught on as well and inspired other designers to experiment with multiple patterns in their designs. Jacobs presents his garments with clean lines and a powerful vision.
Jacobs left a lasting impression on the fashion industry but we can expect much more from him in the upcoming years. He always brings something new, exciting, and refreshing to the table with his imaginative ideas. His creations will continue to inspire other designers over the year with his use of colors, patterns, and execution. His messy grunge look has left an impact in the industry and can be seen to incorporate into other future designs. I personally own a few flannel shirts because now it is one of the must-have items everyone needs in their closet. It is easy to dress up or dress down and to match it with other patterns. Jacobs makes matching different patterns look easy but it is certainly not. His ability to take messy, chaos designs and present them tastefully and appealingly is why he is one of the most influential designers in history.
Citations
- . "Louis Vuitton – Marc Jacobs at Les Arts Décoratifs."StyleSight.com. StyleSight.com, 08 2012. Web. 30 Nov 2012.
- . "Marc Jacobs Biography." Bio.com. Bio.com. Web. 30 Nov 2012. <http://www.biography.com/people/marc-jacobs-594096>.
- 'Louis Vuitton - Marc Jacobs' exhibition at Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris. 2012. WallpaperWeb. 30 Nov 2012.
- SPRING 2012 READY-TO-WEAR Marc By Marc Jacobs. 2012. Style.comWeb. 2 Dec 2012.
- Marc Jacobs Fashion Shows. 2012. Style.comWeb. 2 Dec 2012. <http://www.style.com/fashionshows/powersearch?
- Marin, Rick. "Grunge: A Success Story." The New York Times. The New York Times, 15 1992. Web. 2 Dec 2012.
- . "Marc Jacobs." The New York Times. The New York Times, 03 2011. Web. 2 Dec 2012.
- Marc by Marc Jacobs. 2012. Style Sight, New York. Web. 2 Dec 2012. <http://blog.stylesight.com/runway/marc-by-marc-jacobs-15>.