Marc Jacobs

Marc Jacobs: biography

Marc Jacobs is an American designer of clothes and accessories, whose creative career is well-known all over the world. The founder of the brand doesn't hesitate to do bold experiments. The designer is compared to the King Midas: no matter what part of the wardrobe Marc created in his fantasy, every fashionista will immediately like to have it.

Childhood and youth

The famous modeler - the son of the big Jewish family, was born on the 9th of April, 1963 in New York. His parents worked as the agents at the theater. When the boy turned seven, his father died, and his carefree, happy childhood came to an end. His mother began to look for a new husband and changed her spouses as gloves. For a short period, she managed to get married three times.

Marc together with his brother and sister were out of business. Already having grown up the designer told in one of his interviews that, except his mother’s unhealthy desire to find her happiness, she had the mental disorder.

Having suffered a lot in his parents' home, the teenager left them and went to live with his paternal grandmother who lived in a luxurious apartment in the Majestic skyscraper. It was his grandmother who initiated Marc Jacobs’ creative career: his grandmother instilled in the boy the taste for luxurious but practical things. Moreover, she taught him to hold needles in his hands and to create exclusive knitted clothes.

Marc finished the mathematical school, and at the age of five, he joined the ranks of the students of the High School of Art and Design. To know the fashion trends better, at the same time the young man worked in the boutique of modern clothes "Charivari." Here a fateful meeting happened to Jacobs. He began to communicate with Perry Ellis, the designer, about whom there were told the legends. At that moment Marc finally understood that he would connect his life with the fashion and would create gorgeous clothes himself.

Fashion

Being a student, Marc already began to give hopes in the fashion industry. In 1984, the young man received the award from Chester Weinberg and Perry Ellis "Gold Thimble." In a short time, he was called the best designer of the year among other students. At the same period, Jacobs decided to try himself in the creation of his collection and presented handcrafted knitted sweaters to the fashion lovers. The beginning designer released the Sketchbook label as his first try, and it has received positive feedback from the critics.

His career began to take off quickly. The young modeler was invited to head the team of the designers in the company "Perry Ellis," after the death of their idol and mentor Perry Ellis. Here he could show himself from different professional sides and declare himself to the world. The collection of clothes in grunge style, which was created for this brand, has brought Marc popularity.

Jacobs felt cramped within limits in Perry Ellis Fashion House. The young modeler had enough energy for other projects. The designer united his efforts with the fashion designer Robert Duffy and together they presented to the world their new clothes company "Jacobs Duffy Designs Inc.."

Marc's collection under his name "Marc Jacobs label" also helped him to reach the peaks of the fashion Olympus. In the late eighties, this collection brought him extreme success. Marc even got the prize from the Council of Fashion Designers of America. He became the youngest fashion designer among those who had received this award. In 1989, Jacobs together with Duffy began to dress ladies, having occupied the directing positions at Tristan Russo. This fashion company specialized in the creation of women clothing collections.

In five years, Marc delighted the men with the fashionable novelties and created a unique clothing line for them. However, then the modeler was accused of plagiarism for the first time. In this vintage clothing collection, Oscar de la Renta noticed the imitation of his early creative work. However, the fashion critics have sharply criticized the suspicions of the fashion idol, pointing out that Jacobs didn’t imitate, but successfully interpreted the details.

The acquaintance with the owner of LVMH company - Bernard Arnault helped Marc Jacobs to climb the career ladder. He offered Marc to take the position of the director and chief designer of the French Louis Vuitton company. The fashion designer accepted his offer with great pleasure and got engaged in the work.

While creating the bags’ collections, the designer collaborated with the artists Takashi Murakami, Richard Prince and even rapper Kanye West. The earnings of Louis Vuitton Fashion House were increasing rapidly. Already during the first year, Jacob's work increased in three more times. The bag model "Marc Jacobs Stam bag" is considered to be Marc's most significant achievement. He created this bag mainly for the Canadian model and photo model Jessica Stam.

During the years of cooperation with Louis Vuitton, the modeler continued to work hard on the new clothing collections and other things. By the year 2006, he already has got 60 boutiques. Moreover, he has released a couple of lines of perfumes, glasses, shoes and one watch line under his name. The fashion designer's ideas sometimes had a sensational character. For example, Marc twice produced T-shirts series on which there were pictured naked media personalities. He has done it to support the fight against melanoma.

The movie and TV celebrities ordered the clothing from the talented couturier with great pleasure. Anna Wintour, Christy Turlington, Naomi Campbell and others were among his clients. Jacobs has sewed the costumes for the Parisian ballet "Amoveo."

Marc Jacobs' creative way also involved scandals. In 2008, the designer had to take responsibility for the scarf, which design he had looked up in the works of the Swedish star of the podiums of the fifties - Gösta Olofsson. The plagiarism was revealed by chance – one of the American reporters was looking through old magazines and saw that Jacobs’ creation was an exact copy of the Swedish designer’s scarf. The American modeler had to pay compensation to Olofsson’s relatives.

Later there burst out another scandal: the journalists got information that instead of the artificial fur which decorated designer’s clothes there was used the wool of Chinese raccoon dog. In 2013, Marc left Louis Vuitton Fashion House and entirely focused his forces and opportunities for the development of his brands.

Personal life

The designer doesn’t keep his personal life in secret. On the contrary, he shows it to the public with all possible ways. Marc is a gay, who actively fights for the rights of the sexual minorities groups’ members. Also, he does it with the help of his creative work: in 2009, the man created a T-shirts line in honor of the legalization of the same-sex marriages in the United States. In spring of 2009, the modeler openly married his lover Lorenzo Martone.

However, their marriage turned out to be fragile, and in a year they broke up. Then Jacobs was noticed to have a love affair with Harry Louis, but their relations haven’t ended in the marriage.

Jacobs has alcohol and cocaine addiction. In the early 2000's he even had to go through the treatment at the rehab clinic. Marc fainted at work, had conflicts and scandals with his employees.

The modeler changed his preferences with the years. At first, Marc Jacobs hardly resembled a fashion designer; he wore oversized pants and shirts to hide his excess weight. But in 2006 he got engaged in the sport, and he began to have an athletic body. He started to have many tattoos on his body and an earring with a diamond.

Marc realized fashion experiments, he often wore skirts and dresses and appeared in public.

Мarc Jacobs at present

At present, Marc Jacobs company has three directions - the youth brand Marc by Marc Jacobs, the children's line Little Marc and the ready-to-wear clothing line The Marc Jacobs Collection. Marc's brand has an official website, where one can order any fashion bangs. Marc Jacobs Fashion and Perfumery House also have a chain of boutiques with perfumes, accessories and cosmetological services.

Marc is still an extremely fruitful designer, though the critics accuse modeler of the returning to his early creative work and of too theatrical style of collections. They say it's hardly possible to wear such clothes in everyday life.

At the beginning of 2018, the press began to discuss the instability of the American designer's business. His shops started to be closed everywhere. However, Jacobs keeps participating in the fashion parades.

His fall-winter collection is abundant with the bows, leather, big and small details, is characterized by the broad line of shoulders and volumes. For spring and summer, the designer offered the following trends - bright boas, turbans, light African robes, and dresses in the style of Hollywood retro chic.

Marc Jacobs has a net worth of $100 million.

Wealth estimation

Until 2014, the retail sales of Marc Jacobs company brought its owner $ 650 million. But the economic crisis has brought the adjustments, and at present, its profit decreased to $ 300 million.

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