MARC JACOBS

With a timely ability to design what the fashion pack want to wear even before they know what to want, Marc Jacobs has become one of the world's hottest and hippest designers. Nicknamed the Guru of Grunge by Women's Wear Daily, Jacobs created a phenomenon in the Nineties when he sent models parading down the catwalk with a Seattle-inspired, rugged mix and match sensibility of army boots and plaid shirts paired with floral dresses and unfinished seams.

Born in New York City in 1963, Jacobs decided he wanted to become a designer while at grammar school. His sister taught him how to embroider his jeans and his grandmother, who he credits with being "the biggest influence in his life", taught him how to knit. At 15, Jacobs worked as a stockboy in New York's trendy Charivari boutique and it was there that he was introduced to Perry Ellis who "embodied cool to me. He had long hair; he didn't wear a suit and tie, and he made funky clothes that were a big success. He gave me a lot of hope." After graduating from the High School for Art and Design in 1981 and following Ellis' advice, Jacobs studied at the Parsons School of Art and Design in New York where he won the Perry Ellis Golden Thimble award in 1984. While at Parsons, he designed a small collection of hand-knit sweaters for the Charivari boutique.

The following year, Jacobs was hired as vice president of womenswear at Perry Ellis. While there, he designed the infamous but timely grunge collection that was triumphed by those in fashion circles from Kal Ruttenstein, head of merchandising at Bloomingdales, to US Vogue editor Anna Wintour who said of the collection, "You can't change fashion by parading 25 navy suits down the runway. Marc isn't about investment dressing. Yet, when you go to the showroom and see the clothes, you realise they're eminently wearable." At the time, Jacobs described the collection as his best ever, having wanted to visually translate the clash and noise of the music of Pearl Jam and Nirvana into pattern and colour. However, Jacobs was to be too radical for Perry Ellis and the American sportswear house laid him off in 1992. He went on to win the Women's Designer of the Year award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America that same year.

In 1994, Jacobs, along with his business partner Robert Duffy, launched his highly anticipated eponymous line onto the catwalk for the first time on his 31st birthday. He created quite a stir when the $10,000-a-day supermodel gang, including Naomi Campbell and Linda Evangelista, walked the catwalk for free in support of their friend. The collection was a European take on colour, texture and silhouette and teamed mini skirts with fishnet tights and white duchess satin jackets or acid green rubber coats over pinstripes. The look was Jacobs take on post-grunge glamour, and was inspired by "a woman who brings home the bacon, but also fries it up in the pan".
In 1997, Jacobs was appointed creative director of Louis Vuitton where he developed the company's first ready-to-wear line. His first collection for the Parisian house saw models in white minimalist pieces devoid of accessories or the even the famous LV logo. In 2001, Jacobs launched his more affordable diffusion line, Marc, that rapidly became a must-have label for young urban hipsters. Marc by Marc Jacobs has proved so popular that it is one of the first diffusion lines that has threatened to overshadow the mainline. By 2003, Jacob's company offered a full range of products from perfume and eyewear to accessories and shoes, and he had opened flagship stores on both coasts of the United States.

Jacobs has succeeded in designing seasonal must-haves for his own two lines, while keeping the Louis Vuitton label modern and contemporary. At LV, he has been triumphant in revamping the famous accessory line and has collaborated with the likes of Steven Sprouse, who designed the ever-popular graffiti bag for spring 2001, Julie Verhoeven, who created patchwork collage bags, and graphic artist Takashi Murakami, who contributed to the bubblegum-cute accessories for spring/summer 2003. His designs continue to be admired on the catwalk and continually mimicked on the high streets.

A great self-promoter and not one to shy away from the headlines, Jacobs clothes have been seen on the fabulous and super-stylish. Sarah Jessica Parker wore his pretty frocks while pregnant and Winona Ryder who infamously borrowed his pieces from Saks Fifth Avenue in 2001, wore his demure designs to her trial and subsequently appeared in his spring/summer 2003 ad campaign shot by Juergen Teller.

During his studies at Parsons, Jacobs frequented the notorious Area club in New York and continues to use the spirit of that era as inspiration for his collections: It's about a constant re-celebration of what turns us on," he explains. "Youth, energy, vitality, freedom... not in this pining for the past way, but again just constantly celebrating that its energy is still relevant."
Marc Jacobs spends most of his time in Paris, where he lives with his Bull Terrier Alfred.

Source: HERE