Jacquemus F/W 2022.23 Arles

[LadyJunon]

Loïc Prigent almost saves this disaster of a collection:

 

[Salvatore]

This isn’t good. All I see is more attention to the show than designing something worth the hype. I am curious what will be the next development for him and his brand. It could go several of ways:

A. Someone will foolishly give him the keys to a more established house and, since he is no Karl who was able to successfully design for multiple houses simultaneously and do it well, his eponymous label will die. He doesn’t seem to have the design vocabulary and depth so he’ll be let go after a few seasons. This scenario is highly unlikely.

B. He gets some serious financial backing which elevates the quality of his items and business as a whole. Maybe he’ll even hire better designers. Would he try to go more luxury, settle into the level of Alexander Wang, or dig deeper into the French Fashion Nova/Shein thing ? This scenario is moderately possible.

C. The brand implodes on itself and disappears or becomes absolutely irrelevant to the fashion conversation, but he sticks around because he’s now somewhat of a celebrity and branches out into other endeavours ? Possible.

I was not a fan of Zac Posen mostly due to his perceived personality, but he is at least extremely talented and unfortunately had to close his business. Meanwhile you have Jacquemus and Christian Siriano floating around, still « successfully » running. Nonsense.

 

[LadyJunon]

This isn’t good. All I see is more attention to the show than designing something worth the hype. I am curious what will be the next development for him and his brand. It could go several of ways:

A. Someone will foolishly give him the keys to a more established house and, since he is no Karl who was able to successfully design for multiple houses simultaneously and do it well, his eponymous label will die. He doesn’t seem to have the design vocabulary and depth so he’ll be let go after a few seasons. This scenario is highly unlikely.

B. He gets some serious financial backing which elevates the quality of his items and business as a whole. Maybe he’ll even hire better designers. Would he try to go more luxury, settle into the level of Alexander Wang, or dig deeper into the French Fashion Nova/Shein thing ? This scenario is moderately possible.

C. The brand implodes on itself and disappears or becomes absolutely irrelevant to the fashion conversation, but he sticks around because he’s now somewhat of a celebrity and branches out into other endeavours ? Possible.

I was not a fan of Zac Posen mostly due to his perceived personality, but he is at least extremely talented and unfortunately had to close his business. Meanwhile you have Jacquemus and Christian Siriano floating around, still « successfully » running. Nonsense.

Scenario B (directed to luxury) would be ideal, but since Simon is so insistent on independence, C is more likely.

Also, the only reason why Siriano is relevant is because he started the whole "fat model" craze.

 

[Salvatore]

Scenario B (directed to luxury) would be ideal, but since Simon is so insistent on independence, C is more likely.

Also, the only reason why Siriano is relevant is because he started the whole "fat model" craze.

I think you are right and B is « ideal » and prove us all wrong here at TFS. Independence is definitely important, though.. Look at what happened with John Galliano, Alessandro Dell’Acqua, Christian Lacroix Halston and countless others that no longer can design under their own name for varying reasons, but all because someone else owns it. However, it would maybe be good for him to try it granted there are some clauses that protect him. Hopefully he uses the money from the Nike collaboration wisely.

To be honest, I don’t actually care what happens to the label, lol. I do know how hard it is to start a new business in general, let alone a fashion label, and keep it running so that is where my concern lies.

 

[Cocteau Stone]

Scenario C seems to be on the cards as we speak considering how poorly their online services are. So many bad reviews regarding their online store (other retailers that stock his stuff fare better). Apparently it has been repeatedly addressed but it doesn't seem to have worked.

I personally feel that for someone this limited in the design field, he has been given way too much too quickly. He hasn't really developed, but he's a conventionally attractive gay white male that's popular on Instagram. The world is his oyster much to my chagrin.

 

[Salvatore]

Scenario C seems to be on the cards as we speak considering how poorly their online services are. So many bad reviews regarding their online store (other retailers that stock his stuff fare better). Apparently it has been repeatedly addressed but it doesn't seem to have worked.

I personally feel that for someone this limited in the design field, he has been given way too much too quickly. He hasn't really developed, but he's a conventionally attractive gay white male that's popular on Instagram. The world is his oyster much to my chagrin.

You bring up something very important about being given too much too quickly. I understand about wanting to scale up, but I think he went too fast with it because his infrastructure could not support the demand. Could have been a good time to dive into a bit more exclusivity.

I find it interesting and troubling his price points are around some of Alexandre Vauthier’s RTW pieces. Alexandre Vauthier does haute couture and his items are quality, I am sure. Then you have Jacquemus …

 

[Vitamine W]

When is he going into p*rn? It will be so much more constructive for our fragile planet than this vain waste of scarce resources.

 

[Cocteau Stone]

You bring up something very important about being given too much too quickly. I understand about wanting to scale up, but I think he went too fast with it because his infrastructure could not support the demand. Could have been a good time to dive into a bit more exclusivity.

I find it interesting and troubling his price points are around some of Alexandre Vauthier’s RTW pieces. Alexandre Vauthier does haute couture and his items are quality, I am sure. Then you have Jacquemus …

Considering he started his label in 2010 and started showing at PFW 2012, I'm amazed at how not good everything is when compared to some of his contemporaries despite having this much time in the industry already. Those years working at CDG don't count to the experience... You only worked in a shop, so drop the attitude.

I did a little peruse on resale sites (The RealReal, Vestiaire etc.) to see how it looks outside of the new collections, and the clothes just look terrible. On a stand, retail mannequin, hanger, on a body but the body is photoshopped out or just laying flat, the clothes look bad. It's almost impossible for anyone to make them actually work properly in any context. How the brand has managed to make the simplest shirt or jersey sheath overwrought is bit of an achievement to be honest.

 

[Salvatore]

A problem I see with this collection and a lot of his recent collections is, of course, poor construction and fit, but also a lot of unnecessary details that he thinks equates to design, but really is throwing off what ever silhouette he’s going for. A lot of straps, random cutouts, diaper-esque bustlines and butts, fabric gushing out in the most random places … it’s too much. Not chic at all.

 

[velvetandsilk]

^There is no knowledge of textiles. Always chooses incorrectly. There is probably no pattern maker person in the company.

 

[LadyJunon]

^There is no knowledge of textiles. Always chooses incorrectly. There is probably no pattern maker person in the company.

I don't think it's that there's no pattern maker in the company. I just think that garment construction isn't prioritized AT ALL. If I look at collections from 2016 to 2019, there seems to be some sort of care put into the shape, fit and material of the garments that is absolutely ABSENT here. My best guess is that there was a lot of company restructuring during the pandemic that was also responsible for the delay of "La Montagne".

Regardless of company drama, you CANNOT show a collection of poorly put together clothes and label it "see now, buy now". And that will only f*ck him over harder now he's veering towards "experimentalism" again, an aesthetic that depends heavily on dressmaking and tailoring skills.

 

[Cocteau Stone]

^It all started to go down hill when he tried to make linen his go to thing.

Linen, although simple, can be an actual pain to work with if you don't have the technical experience to pull it off. Considering how much lighter weight linen he uses, I'm not surprised things look this bad because it can stretch at the drop of a hat when you don't know what you're doing. Because of that, he probably thinks it is far more malleable than he thinks it is because of how it drops and hangs, which is a poor assumption to make (better off using silk linen).

When he started trying to make a fabric his "thing", everything else fell by the wayside. Shirtings aren't done right, high stretch jerseys become over stretched, poorly stuffed padded jackets/vests/gilets... I could go on and on. But these are such simple things, used in a not very complex way a lot of the time but there is no actual care or consideration so everything looks like the second to last toile of each piece.

 

[LadyJunon]

^It all started to go down hill when he tried to make linen his go to thing.

Linen, although simple, can be an actual pain to work with if you don't have the technical experience to pull it off. Considering how much lighter weight linen he uses, I'm not surprised things look this bad because it can stretch at the drop of a hat when you don't know what you're doing. Because of that, he probably thinks it is far more malleable than he thinks it is because of how it drops and hangs, which is a poor assumption to make (better off using silk linen).

When he started trying to make a fabric his "thing", everything else fell by the wayside. Shirtings aren't done right, high stretch jerseys become over stretched, poorly stuffed padded jackets/vests/gilets... I could go on and on. But these are such simple things, used in a not very complex way a lot of the time but there is no actual care or consideration so everything looks like the second to last toile of each piece.

Everything being beige (the colour of toile) doesn't help either...

 

[Salvatore]

That’s a good point … everything does look like a toile and therefore has this perpetual unfinished vibe. I don’t think I have ever looked at a Jacquemus piece and say « wow, that’s really beautiful and well-made. » The only collection of his that showed some upgrade was Spring 2021. Most things after that have been trashy.

 

[FashionFanatico]

LOL
jacquemus instagram

 

[perhydrol]

^ And there were dragons flying everywhere.

 

[IloveDiorHomme]

View attachment 1218186
LOL
jacquemus instagram

SHEIN is also a "big fashion house" in the sense the brand is worth $100 BILLION.

 

[RaisinBoy]

cringy to watch. embarrassing... ouch... someone please remind me next time not to tune in on jacquemus show. Waste of time.

 

[SophiaVB]

Seems they are trying for Option B. Surprised he does so much sales volume.

Jacquemus: A Fashion Star’s Business Vision

• Jacquemus is on track to double annual revenues to over €200 million by year-end, with plans to reach €500m by 2025, the brand said, revealing its financials for the first time.
• The influential designer's charismatic persona and social-media savvy storytelling have helped create memorable images and an intimate connection with his engaged, global audience.
• The brand is now prioritising a shift to direct-to-consumer sales, opening a retail store on Avenue Montaigne as well as exploring options to launch categories like cosmetics, perfume and home goods.

Jacquemus, which remains independently owned by its 32-year-old founder, crossed the threshold of €100 million ($99.8 million) in annual revenues last year. Sales are on track to double to €200 million by the end of 2022, cementing his place as French fashion’s biggest breakout success in over a decade. Under a new CEO, Bastien Daguzan, a long-time adviser who was hired from Puig’s Paco Rabanne label, the company hopes to grow sales to €500 million by 2025.

At the same time, a multi-year partnership with sportswear giant Nike, which launched this spring with a sell-out capsule of sneakers and women’s athleticwear, is set to push Jacquemus’ brand awareness to new heights. Two more drops are set to follow, culminating with the Paris 2024 Olympics. Which team would he most like to dress? “Probably the country with the least money, that would be cute,” he says. “France might be too...political.”

(...)

The brand’s new CEO Daguzan, a longtime friend of Jacquemus’, is being entrusted to “solidify” operations after the brand struggled to keep up with exploding demand. It is working to gradually reduce its dependence on wholesalers (which currently account for over 60 percent of sales). Accelerating sales on its own e-commerce site will likely remain the priority over opening stores — the brand wants to remain “digital first” in its distribution. By boosting the website, as well as converting some department-store corners to directly-operated shop-in-shops, Jacquemus is targeting an even split between wholesale and direct-to-consumer within three years.

 

[Cocteau Stone]

Which team would he most like to dress? “Probably the country with the least money, that would be cute,”...

I'm sorry, but this is bit of a hilarious brain fart moment. It sounds so stupid. Definitely (well... probably) not a malicious intent but it does tells us what generation he favours.