Who Is Jacquemus, French Fashion Prodigy?

At 18, he left for the French capital, where he attended ESMOD, the École supérieure whose alumni includes the likes of Balmain's Olivier Rousteing and couturier Franck Sorbier. Despite the institution's reputation, Jacquemus was underwhelmed by the academic teaching, which, coupled with the premature death of his mother, prompted the young designer to leave school after only three months.

Having abandoned his academic career—he prefers to define himself as self-taught—Simon Porte subsequently worked as a stylist until 2009, when he founded his own brand, using his mother's maiden name, Jacquemus, honoring the memory of his first muse and point of reference. He moved to a small atelier near Montmartre and presented a collection for which "minimalism was more a necessity than a studied concept," he said when recalling that period. In fact, the economic difficulty led him straight to the essentials For the famous Hiver-Froid collection, he selected the fabrics from remnants found at the Marché Saint Pierre and made the garments in a curtain workshop, without using buttons or pockets as they were too expensive at the time. 

Fashion legends Rei Kawakubo and Adrian Joffe took notice of Jacquemus after the designer unveiled his third collection, "L'usine" in Tokyo, which served as a turning point in his career. The founders of Comme des Garçons lent their expertise and connections, which changed the life of the young designer, who began working in the brand's Parisian store shortly after meeting Kawakubo and Joffe. Two collections later, Jacquemus was presented by Joffe—with great success—at the Dover Street Market in London, before arriving at the windows of Opening Ceremony and Biffi in Milan.

Every season Jacquemus presents a new theme. His classic style reworks the simple concepts of French aesthetics and through cuts that combine commercial and conceptual, revitalizes them as fresh and contemporary designs. His Instagram bio is a manifesto of his poetics: "I love blue and white, stripes, the sun, fruit, life, poetry, Marseille, the 80s." All of these elements are echoed in both the women's and men's ready-to-wear collections. Jacquemus introduced a men's line in 2019 with the "Le gadjo" collection. Since then, Jacquemus has presented a men's line each season, each of which has become popular and trendy thanks to the genuine, refreshing approach of the French designer. "I would like more poetry and less industry, fashion is empty without poetry," Jacquemus likes to say.