Marc Jacobs
(1963-Present)
Biography
In 1963, the great talent, Marc Jacobs was born to a mother and father working for the William Morris talent agency in New York City. As a child, Jacobs spent most of his years moving, as his mom remarried several times after his fathers death at 32. Eventually Jacobs becomes distanced from his mother and moves in with his paternal grandmother, whom Jacobs describes as being emotionally stable and encouraging of him.
Like most great designers Marc got an early start in the fashion world. At only 13, the motivated fashion enthusiast found work at a clothing boutique by the name of Charivari, where he met Perry Ellis, the designer of a label whom Jacobs later took charge of when Ellis passed in 1986.
At 17, Jacobs takes a costume design course at Parsons School of Design and once graduated from high school enrolls at Parsons full time. Within a few years, Jacobs is recognized as student of the year and is also awarded with the school Chester Weinberg and Perry Ellis Gold Thimble Award after showing a collection of op-art sweaters, which had been hand-knit by his grandmother. That same year Robert Duffy offers Jacobs to design a ready-to-wear line for the label Sketchbook. Meanwhile, the owner of Charivari, Barbara Weiser, makes an order to have Marc's sweaters placed into production for the Marc and Barbara Label. Soon his sweaters were out, worn, and even photographed by the prominent Bill Cunningham on the streets of New York City, defining the start of his career.
In 1985, after the Sketchbook label went out of business, Jacobs paired with Duffy to create Marc Jacobs Inc. The pair also came together taking lead roles at the Perry Ellis label after his death. While at Perry Ellis, Jacobs struggled with the fear of failure, but his designs showed no sign of it. Drawing inspirations from the past, his designs were ironic and genius. Though criticized that his designs did not portray the Perry Ellis image, Jacobs continued to follow what was in his heart, thus taking inspiration from grunge music groups such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden. This controversial look inspired what was his collection in 1992, which was loved by some and hated by others, including the Perry Ellis executives, which resulted in the Jacobs and Duffy duo to be fired after the showing of the collection.
Regardless, in 1997, the duo found a more creative position with the label Louis Vuitton and showed his first collection for the line within two years. With great success and fame coming his way at a rapid pace, Jacobs also found himself partying more then often. His friends and colleagues convinced him to seek help, and Marc checked into rehab in 2000 for drug and alcohol abuse. A year later, clean and revived Marc establishes his own label, Marc by Marc Jacobs.
In 2011, ten years and multiple CFDA awards since the beginning of the Marc Jacobs label, Jacobs is honored with the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award.
Today, the Marc Jacobs label continues to be a success and his designs can be seen on anyone from celebrities to the general public.
Critical Analysis
Known for his inspiration taken from the punk and grunge movement from the 80's and 90's, Marc Jacobs has become one of the most innovative and genius designers of our time. Like Geoffrey Beene, Marc Jacobs is also a master in the business aspect of the industry. With more than 3 clothing lines, a fragrance collection, and an accessories label, Jacobs has dominated the market for almost 20 years.
I feel that Marc Jacobs designs reflect the zeitgeist of his time because he brings forth inspiration from the counterculture of the time. The look that Jacobs is most known for is his interpretation on the grunge and punk movements of the 80's and 90's. Ultimately, I feel that Jacobs took a great risk in bringing punk inspirations to the runway mostly because the "punk" style was a street style that was sort of an act against mainstream ideals, including fashion. Punk was a form to differentiate yourself from what was ideal and was even referred to as anti-fashion. However, I feel that by Jacobs seeing the opportunity and taking the risk to introduce something so imperfect to the fashion world was revolutionary and I think that is what truly makes him an icon. He is not afraid to create controversy.
Analysis on Present and Future Trends
I feel that Marc Jacobs has had a great influence on current trends. Especially within the last year we have begun to see a lot more of the grunge look coming back. I think you can definitely see that the punk inspiration is becoming a trend once again especially in brands like UNIF. UNIF is quite known for their destroyed sweaters and controversial graphics such as the displaying of the number "666" on garments.
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