Designer Spotlight: Jacquemus
Simon Porte Jacquemus is the man behind the ‘Chiquito’ bag that swept Instagram overnight. But Jacquemus is so much more than a passing trend. He is a natural provocateur, works with a small team, takes care of every detail himself, and is in a sublime state of love, for his art, his roots and his people. This slow philosophy seems inconsistent with the fast, 24-hour beeping machine that is social media. So how does he balance both spaces? A quick look into his philosophy, may hold the answer to why we feel so good when we wear Jacquemus.
Jacquemus grew up on a farm, surrounded by sunshine and open fields. His pretty boy charm landed him in a Carambar’s-candy campaign when he was a child. At 19, he enrolled into design school, dropping out after the unexpected death of his mother and wasted no time, in starting ‘Jacquemus’, in her honour. His first “show” was a staged strike outside the Dior store in Paris. He then told the press, “French people love striking, strike uniforms are so sexy.” And here his story begins. His uncanny ability to read his environment and place himself at the centre of popular culture, while simultaneously treating his world as a stage, has continuously led him to success.
He tells The Cut, he’s “realizing his dreams.” is “very in love.” and his “only goal,” in work and in life, is “being ’app-ee.” He is also very adamant on staying an independent fashion house. His charming confidence and strong vision is a breath of fresh air.
His latest show, set on a pink runway with a backdrop of lavender looks like a fantastical dream, where wish-granting genies swim in fountains of champagne and feed you, fresh grapes. Pink button up maxis, pastel blazers and colour-blocked crop tops, pastel yellow puff jacket inspired skirts make for a well thought out collection that embody "lightness".
A cheeky playfulness runs through his brand. His first menswear collection is called “Le Gadjo”, slang for a certain type of tourist. Most couldn’t pull it off, but he does it all with a charming smile, so it works. He plays with the erotic and is unapologetic about the sexual motif in his clothes. Most of his models are topless or braless, his Instagram is littered with silhouettes and booty, but here it comes across as artfully erotic as opposed to pornographically vulgar. It also makes room for an alternative narrative. If we stop taking the idea of performing perfection so seriously, perhaps, we can come to owning our bodies, our sexuality and our power, with the same lightness a Jacquemus garment exudes.
With a natural instinct for attention and performance, Instagram is Jacquemus’ playground with influencers like Hailey Bieber and Kylie Jenner being regularly seen in his garments. He is as much a designer as he is an influencer and he knows how to play to his strengths. The wit, the charm and the commitment to creating pure joy and lightness in a world where we are consistently weighed down by the dark, is immediately attractive. He dispels the myth that man must suffer for his art. So go forth, put on a dress, own your roots, and float away into eternal summer with Simon Porte Jacquemus.
Shop the latest collection right here!
