Simon Jacquemus' #NewJob
Simon Jacquemus, founder and creative director of the eponymous luxury clothing brand JACQUEMUS, had spent the past few weeks puzzling his social media followers through his extensive use of #newjob. Was he going to another fashion house? Would he leave his namesake behind? What on Earth was going on?
Well, his Spring 2018 collection in Paris settled all that. He walked out at the end of the runway (following a beautiful show inspired by Jacquemus' time in the souks of Morocco) wearing a beige sweatshirt bearing the words New Job L’Homme Jacquemus. Six years after the debut of his brand, a menswear line–at last!
Some looks from Jacquemus' Fall/Winter 2018 Collection | Images Via
The line can be expected to debut around the start of summer, thought precise location and presentation are yet to be confirmed. Jacquemus has acknowledged that he's already deep into the process: "It was so weird to do a fitting with a male model,” he said. “I usually drape the clothes directly onto the girl, but this was different... so I am learning something new. I don’t want to do the men’s exactly like the women’s. Everything comes from the heart with me, so I am going to discover myself as I design it. My woman was very naive when I started, and she became more sophisticated with time. The men’s is going to be same. It’ll be serious, even if I am not!"
“There were a lot of rumors. That I was going to Céline, that I was going to Versace... Everyone thought I was going to another house but I’m staying at my own. You can have a new job even if it’s at your own house.”
On why he's waited so long to start his own menswear line, Jacquemus attributes his creative choice to emotions. "The (menswear) it was something I didn’t feel," he explained. "I didn’t feel it, and I was like ‘when I fall in love is when I’m going to do the men’s because he’s going to exist’. When he’s someone I can see, someone I can smell and I know what he’s eating–I know everything about him."
And that's exactly what happened. "I fell in love and I started to imagine that the Jacquemus man exists. I did Jacquemus women’s for my mother, and while I’m not saying that the men’s collection will be all about my boyfriends, it will still always be a love story."
The brand took shape back in 2009, after Jacquemus dropped out of fashion school following his mother’s untimely death (Jacquemus is her maiden name).
Simon Jacquemus and his late mother - a big part of his inspiration | Image Via
From there, his fame in the fashion world skyrocketed. He rapidly gained the support of high profile industry figures and took home the Special Jury Prize in the annual awards held by LVMH back in 2014.
Since then, he has earned a reputation as one of the most talented young designers on the Paris scene, whose name is regularly put forward in the ongoing game of musical chairs at major houses–hence the rumor frenzy surrounding his #newjob.
Looking ahead, Jacquemus has predicted that the addition of a men’s line will certainly impact the mood of the brand. "This is going to change Jacquemus a little in the sense that it’s much more forward-looking, because there is a lot of melancholy in the women’s collections, for obvious reasons," he said.
I for one cannot wait! Keep your eyes peeled for further updates.
Feature Image Via
