20th Century Designers: Marc Jacobs

1963-Present

(bio.com)

Marc Jacobs
Biography:

Marc Jacobs is known for his impeccable work and designs with Louis Vuitton and his own label, Marc Jacobs. At age 7, Marc’s world turned upside down when the death of his father occurred, causing him to live with his Grandmother whom he gained fashion inspiration from (Bio). His mother took the death of his father harshly, and began dating and remarrying regularly. This caused him to move around many times to places such as New Jersey, Long Island, and Bronx (Bio). Although he had to move around because of his mother’s new marriages, he gained inspiration and was able to experience different styles and environments. Constantly moving around and constantly changing homes was not healthy for Jacobs, so he moved in with his grandmother on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. His grandmother constantly encouraged him and helping him with his designs, which has gotten him to where he is now. At 15, Jacobs was working at an upscale boutique called Charivari (Bio). He has designed for Perry Ellis, but when they dropped him, Marc presented his own collection under his own name and it became a hit (Alford). Three years later, he sold his company to LVMH and is now the designer at Louis Vuitton for the men and women’s collections, while also having his own upscale line and lower-priced line.

(stylesight.com)

Critical Analysis:

The zeitgeist of the time period that Marc Jacobs began designing collections was known as the "grunge age". The grunge age was filled with metal music, ripped jeans, flannel and rebellious attitude. The people of this time did not care what society thought of them, they wanted to look different and stand out. Marc Jacobs clearly displayed the grunge through his early collections and it has carried on today. He incorporates flannels, leather, combat boots, ripped jeans, exposed midriffs, and baggy dresses throughout his collections (style sight). The influence of the spirit of the time of the grunge movement has remained prominent through his work and is still his inspiration today.

Marc Jacobs is an icon because of his youthful, yet sophisticated designs. He loves his job, which is easy to see through his creative and exciting designs (bio.com). Jacobs is constantly changing his ideas to become bigger and better than he already is. This shows his dedication and perseverance. His runway collection may be out of the ordinary and wild, but he also understands simplicity and elegance. He not only sells a top of the line luxury brand, but he also has a discounted line which helps spread his clientele. Marc has overcome many obstacles to get to where he is today. From his father’s death, having the same illness he did, and constantly moving around, he remained faithful to his creative fashion side. He needed a source of stability in life and something to help keep him busy, and fashion did just that.

(stylesight)

(stylesight.com)

Analysis of Future Trends:

Marc Jacobs is the created of the grunge movement today. Although it may be the thing of the past, it is prominently seen in today's fashion in the "hipster" movement. Almost everyone owns a pair of combat boots and flannel that have been inspired by the amazing Marc Jacobs. He created the look of pairing ripped jeans, combat boots, and plaid which is a very popular trend today. Marc as an impeccable eye for pairing two patterns together which is not an easy task. He's known for mixing two completely different patterns, but making them look so cohesive and look like they belong together.

I personally follow the trend that Marc Jacob's has created. I constantly wear combat boots and tie an oversized flannel around my waist. I own three different pairs of combat boots, various flannels and create outfits inspired by the iconic Marc Jacobs.