Simon Porte Jacquemus - Designer, Creative Director of Jacquemus

[Lola701]

Even he is so desparate to sell those crap that nobody asks for, but can he think about the other way around. It is not that hard for him to produce reasonable priced and good quality products.

Tbh, I think to be totally honest that he got a lot of bad reviews a bit unfairly. You know it’s like the people who goes on the internet to say that the quality is crap at Chanel when it’s not true overall.

I would say this: Jeans and knitwear is fine at Jacquemus. Even in some dresses in Jersey and polyester, it’s good.

The real problem is in the tailoring and outerwear. And it’s a design and quality problem. The cut is weird, sometimes the fabric is not up to the standards of the prices asked.

But for me, the real issue is the cut. He is selling the idea of inclusivity with his brand but the cut of his clothes is not forgiving at all and the price point is more and more disconnected with his core audience.

JWA is the brand that is the closest to Jacquemus in a way. The commercial offering of JWA is very consistent.

So he needs to be focused. Because I don’t know who is going to Jacquemus for a 6000€ coat, a 2000€ dress.
I feel like those issues and the production chain should have been handled before opening stores even though it was an essential point for the development of the brand.

But Jacquemus is clever. If the brand fashion at some point is really in danger and the bags not selling that much, he will release a fragrance. And we all know that he has the potential to really succeed with that.

 

[JohannesL]

And now he must be doing the same thing with Loewe as there are rumours circulating already. I feel like instead of getting any fresh hype for the brand, he'll turn into a Ralph Rucci kind of meme.

Rucci: He is not even in the same league with me.

 

[NoInvite]

He's doing everything right in terms of marketing and image. Product wise they are trying very hard to make a bag happen. Efforts were seen in their new store in London and NYC. The new bag is even a mix of The Row and Loewe. But you see his demographic is there just for image it was everywhere when it opened but will it translate to numbers? Please prove me wrong Simon!

 

[susseinmcswanny]

While this situation is extremely funny, it becomes extremely depressing in context.

Jacquemus is one of the few, if not the only, non-conglomorate designer-centric brands that is actually widely-known, successful and profitable. The waning hope that a young designer can go their own way and still have that potential to become a major force in the industry lies entirely in his hands.

Vetements is dead. Off-White is dead. If Jacquemus fails and nothing steps in its place, independent fashion is truly done for.

That is true... but I don't know. I guess I admire that he's independent, but it's not like his success was reached by making actual good clothes. If anything it tells me you have to make social media slop for any chance of being successfully independent.

 

[tricotineacetat]

While this situation is extremely funny, it becomes extremely depressing in context.

Jacquemus is one of the few, if not the only, non-conglomorate designer-centric brands that is actually widely-known, successful and profitable. The waning hope that a young designer can go their own way and still have that potential to become a major force in the industry lies entirely in his hands.

Vetements is dead. Off-White is dead. If Jacquemus fails and nothing steps in its place, independent fashion is truly done for.

While I‘m all up for independent entrepreneurship, Jacquemus is one of those brands I would miss the least, would he suddenly vanish from the scene altogether.

The Fashion Spot probably knows me by now as the biggest critique of all the designers presently championed by the industry and loved by Gen-Z. That‘s because with this generation came a drastic change of fashion culture - One that put clever marketing and world (or rather, brand) building over a unique artistic point of view and design skills associated with MA graduates from schools like the RCA, Central St. Martins under the late Louise Wilson or the Royal College in Antwerp - That makes it all the rarer then to find a promising emerging talent like Patrick Steward (the designer of Standing Ground), who takes an unhurried time to hone his skills.

The success of brands like Jacquemus and Vetements has become a questionable exemplar to the industry. I hope I will still see the day of a paradigm shift in the opposite direction as I can only observe with disbelief what resonates with the average fashion follower right now…

 

[blueorchid]

I'm surprised he doesn't have a fragrance yet, or does he and I’ve missed it?

 

[style_expert]

^ There have been talks of him launching a beauty or fragrance line since 2021. At the time, Puig acquired a 10% stake in his brand with the intention of collaborating on a beauty launch. However, it never materialized, and he eventually bought back the stake.

I wonder why. He already has a young clientele that would likely be drawn to his beauty and fragrance offerings. It’s still a possibility and may well happen in the near future, perhaps with a different partner. Whether Puig would consider re-entering as a minority investor is unclear.

As for his strategy of spreading rumors, he has used it before many times to generate buzz on social media. With Givenchy, another time there was a post hinting at his "last show" (if only that had been true!), and I recall another instance involving an open designer position. Doing this once might be seen as a cute strategy; twice, it starts to feel tiresome. By the third or more, it comes across as desperate and kind of embarrassing.

That said, I do admire his independence so far, and above all, his perseverance—especially considering his, let’s be honest, rather limited design skills. He is mostly a marketer and visual director, and the fact that he has built such a large business on that is, strangely, admirable.

 

[Irere]

And now he must be doing the same thing with Loewe as there are rumours circulating already. I feel like instead of getting any fresh hype for the brand, he'll turn into a Ralph Rucci kind of meme.

So he's essentially just photobombing every open designer position?

 

[perhydrol]

^That would be my bet. He was also name-checked for Chloé before the appointment of Hearst... it was back in 2020 and nothing has materialised since then.

 

[LadyJunon]

I think that the best strategy for Jacquemus going forward would be:
Stabilise the pricing across the brand - Jacquemus has the advantage being priced alongside Ami/APC/Acne, while pushing a much glossier, aspirational image. Their bags average in the €600-1'000 range, which is around ⅓ to ½ of the price LV/Dior/Gucci sell for. The menswear also sits in that price range while the abundance of evening dresses pushes the womenswear a bit higher. If Jacquemus desires to elevate the brand, he should pursue it at a later time when the industry is in a more stable place.
Reduce the marketing budget - He should temporarily move the shows back to the Paris schedule. Instead of spending €2-5mn on a destination show, he could convert any Parisian warehouse space in Paris into an impressive showspace for ⅒ of the cost. He could also use this to play up the "Sudoise en Paris" schtick that is so central to the brand's identity. It will also add an element of stability to the brand.
Reduce the overhead - He needs to press pause on all plans on retail expansion until the product quality is up to par with the price point. Close the cafe which was a fun novelty that became a unneccessary expense for the company. If Jacquemus desires to do something extra-disciplinary (cafe, restaurant, gallery) for worldbuilding purposes, he should stick with temporary pop-ups that will allow for experimental ideas without a long-term investement.
Improve the product range - Use the extra money to invest in an atelier staff and better product development. He needs to work on the fit of the tailoring and outerwear to be more accomodating for layering and movement. He should also consider reducing the presence of polyester and other synthetics in the collections. He should study the methods of similarly priced bags and implement those elements into his own bags.
Start courting an older clientele - The brand's core customer is starting, so it might be a good idea for Jacquemus to introdue silhouettes and products that can work with a more urban, less idyllic lifestyle. There are probably lots of older women who don't want to participate in overly-serious good-taste minimalism, so Jacquemus could be a fun alternative to that. With a bit of tweaking to the handle and a softer leather, the Bambino has the pontential to sized up to become an appealing workbag.

 

[Irere]

^ There have been talks of him launching a beauty or fragrance line since 2021. At the time, Puig acquired a 10% stake in his brand with the intention of collaborating on a beauty launch. However, it never materialized, and he eventually bought back the stake.

I wonder why. He already has a young clientele that would likely be drawn to his beauty and fragrance offerings. It’s still a possibility and may well happen in the near future, perhaps with a different partner. Whether Puig would consider re-entering as a minority investor is unclear.

I'm not sold on this proposition: I think Jacquemus perfume and especially beauty is actually a big gamble. Look how long (and how many previous missteps) it took a brand as big as Prada to get into beauty. Fragrance is now an extremely saturated market, and it's harder and harder for products to find customers these days. Many bigger and better brands have tried and failed at the fragrance game. If Helmut Lang, Yohji Yamamoto, Vivienne Westwood, John Galliano, or Stella McCartney couldn't create lasting fragrances, why should one expect better from Simon Porte Jacquemus? Houses with long-established traditions of perfumery like Balmain and Carven can't sustain fragrance lines, and well-known brands like Givenchy, Ferragamo, Zegna, and Fendi have consistently been struggling with fragrance. Hell, the entire Kering conglomerate can't get fragrance right – Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Boucheron, and Brioni are all perfumeless; Saint Laurent was foolishly disembodied from one of the greatest designer fragrance lines ever created; and Gucci sits on a pile of some of the worst scents ever released. Were Jacquemus to release a fragrance line right now, I suspect it would get the same sort of disinterested reception as the perfume line Courrèges has been trying (unsuccessfully) to make work.

 

[jeanclaude]

I think that the best strategy for Jacquemus going forward would be:
Stabilise the pricing across the brand - Jacquemus has the advantage being priced alongside Ami/APC/Acne, while pushing a much glossier, aspirational image. Their bags average in the €600-1'000 range, which is around ⅓ to ½ of the price LV/Dior/Gucci sell for. The menswear also sits in that price range while the abundance of evening dresses pushes the womenswear a bit higher. If Jacquemus desires to elevate the brand, he should pursue it at a later time when the industry is in a more stable place.
Reduce the marketing budget - He should temporarily move the shows back to the Paris schedule. Instead of spending €2-5mn on a destination show, he could convert any Parisian warehouse space in Paris into an impressive showspace for ⅒ of the cost. He could also use this to play up the "Sudoise en Paris" schtick that is so central to the brand's identity. It will also add an element of stability to the brand.
Reduce the overhead - He needs to press pause on all plans on retail expansion until the product quality is up to par with the price point. Close the cafe which was a fun novelty that became a unneccessary expense for the company. If Jacquemus desires to do something extra-disciplinary (cafe, restaurant, gallery) for worldbuilding purposes, he should stick with temporary pop-ups that will allow for experimental ideas without a long-term investement.
Improve the product range - Use the extra money to invest in an atelier staff and better product development. He needs to work on the fit of the tailoring and outerwear to be more accomodating for layering and movement. He should also consider reducing the presence of polyester and other synthetics in the collections. He should study the methods of similarly priced bags and implement those elements into his own bags.
Start courting an older clientele - The brand's core customer is starting, so it might be a good idea for Jacquemus to introdue silhouettes and products that can work with a more urban, less idyllic lifestyle. There are probably lots of older women who don't want to participate in overly-serious good-taste minimalism, so Jacquemus could be a fun alternative to that. With a bit of tweaking to the handle and a softer leather, the Bambino has the pontential to sized up to become an appealing workbag.

Mine is easier: opening an Onlyfans account, under the name of Jack-off-emus...that can make more money for him than anything else he could deliver in the fashion industry.

 

[tricotineacetat]

Mine is easier: opening an Onlyfans account, under the name of Jack-off-emus...that can make more money for him than anything else he could deliver in the fashion industry.

While I‘m mildly amused by the bottom line it implies, I‘ve watched his popularity grow with disbelief how average-gay-man-ruggedness and shows staged with pretty backdrops can become the motor for people to buy some of the worst design, quality and therewith unjustified pricing the industry has to offer.

And no, this is not a personal vendetta but a conclusion I am coming back to every time I see product of him in the stores.

Jacquemus is of course not the only designer who made a success from limited design skills but the very thought that dedicated fashion followers don‘t see a worlds apart between somebody like him and Hedi Slimane (with all due criticism) baffles me.

We‘ve sadly come to a point where an artistic point of view is often considered relevant only when it‘s linked with unsustainable, commercial success. No wonder we have less and less propositions positioned in a comfortable niche or requiring acquired taste.

 

[tourbillions]

i think declining sales is an over-exageration. Compared to many stores, Jacquemus is still always very busy where i am. The few things i got from them, I could say the quality for regular things are o.k. for a high-street brand. (nothing like ami though or theory) And definitely its disposable luxury, something you won't be scared to wear and tear if you could afford buying into his world.

 

[tricotineacetat]

i think declining sales is an over-exageration. Compared to many stores, Jacquemus is still always very busy where i am. The few things i got from them, I could say the quality for regular things are o.k. for a high-street brand. (nothing like ami though or theory) And definitely its disposable luxury, something you won't be scared to wear and tear if you could afford buying into his world.

If someone told me they paid these kind of prices only to admit the quality is more on par with High Street brands rather than other Contemporary brands who are priced lower than them, then what exactly is the appeal? Can somebody enlighten me, especially regarding the menswear that is really nothing unique the market doesn‘t already have in abundance and better?

 

[tourbillions]

If someone told me they paid these kind of prices only to admit the quality is more on par with High Street brands rather than other Contemporary brands who are priced lower than them, then what exactly is the appeal? Can somebody enlighten me, especially regarding the menswear that is really nothing unique the market doesn‘t already have in abundance and better?

you're talking as if you dont know how fashion and marketing works. With this thinking why buy "luxury" at all, you can buy everything for lower prices and better quality from your local tailors/modists or leather goods straight from the tanneries.

The world of luxury is highly dependent on the vision and packaging of the brand. If Jacquemus did not put that much effort in his image and marketing campaigns, his brand would still be one of the unknown local stores in europe.

Question is are the biggest brands todays really the best quality you could find during their time? Or where they the ones who spent the most on their image, propelling them into the brands that they are today? How many small ateliers where there in the past that provided RTW better than the big brands we know of today but did not become famous due to poor vision and marketing?

 

[tricotineacetat]

you're talking as if you dont know how fashion and marketing works. With this thinking why buy "luxury" at all, you can buy everything for lower prices from your local tailors/modists or leather goods straight from the tanneries.

I do and I would understand if his design was remarkably different enough from his peers to own him a place where either you buy from him or you won‘t get it at all.

And while that idea of buying through clever brand building can be a great fuel for branded goods, bags and accessories sales, it doesn‘t answer the question very well for ready-to-wear sales - Especially in an economic climate where the luxury market is not doing too well due to recession (something his Gen-Z audience is most strongly affected by).

So yeah, I don‘t get how relying on this strategy can build a sustainable business for an independent fashion brand.

 

[tricotineacetat]

Question is are the biggest brands todays really the best quality you could find during their time? Or where they the ones who spent the most on their image, propelling them into the brands that they are today? How many small ateliers where there in the past that provided RTW better than the big brands we know of today but did not become famous due to poor vision and marketing?

I think this is a very simplified answer as to why a lot of independent designers vanished from the scene, mostly during Covid, which mainly affected independent businesses who did not have the savings to compensate for all the losses thaat occured from lockdown: That is, not being able to process orders, retail partners closing, etc. - The list of designers who closed their businesses as a consequence of that is long.

I can‘t stress this enough, but I think Covid as well as the recession have left a lasting imprint on the business and contributed to the more corporate climate we are in right now, how fashion is being marketed and sold (propelling the trend towards online instead of brick-and-mortar retail further).

Jacquemus was lucky to have started a business for which this kind of marketing really works. The people who buy his products are young and social media savvy - But I highly doubt that kind of formula would have worked for a designer like, for example, Narciso Rodriguez whose vision and target audience does not fit as easily to such a marketing strategy.

 

[Lola701]

While I‘m all up for independent entrepreneurship, Jacquemus is one of those brands I would miss the least, would he suddenly vanish from the scene altogether.

The Fashion Spot probably knows me by now as the biggest critique of all the designers presently championed by the industry and loved by Gen-Z. That‘s because with this generation came a drastic change of fashion culture - One that put clever marketing and world (or rather, brand) building over a unique artistic point of view and design skills associated with MA graduates from schools like the RCA, Central St. Martins under the late Louise Wilson or the Royal College in Antwerp - That makes it all the rarer then to find a promising emerging talent like Patrick Steward (the designer of Standing Ground), who takes an unhurried time to hone his skills.

The success of brands like Jacquemus and Vetements has become a questionable exemplar to the industry. I hope I will still see the day of a paradigm shift in the opposite direction as I can only observe with disbelief what resonates with the average fashion follower right now…

It may sound weird but I don’t think the industry is at fault here.
Both Jacquemus and Vêtements got their breakthrough moments thanks to the industry and the appreciation of their work.
Jacquemus was heavily criticized until
His SS2017 which was his breakthrough in the industry and he confirmed the promise of his talent with the FW2017.

The commercial success came with his SS2018. The thing is when the mass started to catch up, instead of pushing through, he rested on his laurel and stopped being a designer and started building a brand.

The same for Vêtements. The moment it started to have a resonance with the mass, sacrifices were made or the focus changed.

I do and I would understand if his design was remarkably different enough from his peers to own him a place where either you buy from him or you won‘t get it at all.

And while that idea of buying through clever brand building can be a great fuel for branded goods, bags and accessories sales, it doesn‘t answer the question very well for ready-to-wear sales - Especially in an economic climate where the luxury market is not doing too well due to recession (something his Gen-Z audience is most strongly affected by).

So yeah, I don‘t get how relying on this strategy can build a sustainable business for an independent fashion brand.

Can we be honest 1 second about the way people consume fashion today?
The huge majority of consumers, all brands reunited are going to brands to buy Jeans, tshirts, sweaters, hoodies and for the most adventurous Outerwear and tailoring.

So you have 2 choices: either you have a brand like AMI that does the commercial stuff perfectly and that is very wardrobe oriented with a very consistent quality or you have a brand that does the huge gap.

I think about a brand like Isabel Marant. It doesn’t have the best quality but it’s consistent in terms of products, aesthetic, cut and price point. But she has already established herself.

But the root of the problem is the lack of technical skills and the fact that he chilled when the commercial success came instead of improving himself.
And so now, without a CEO, he has to handle everything himself while already having a fairly big brand.

 

[tricotineacetat]

It may sound weird but I don’t think the industry is at fault here.
Both Jacquemus and Vêtements got their breakthrough moments thanks to the industry and the appreciation of their work.
Jacquemus was heavily criticized until
His SS2017 which was his breakthrough in the industry and he confirmed the promise of his talent with the FW2017.

The commercial success came with his SS2018. The thing is when the mass started to catch up, instead of pushing through, he rested on his laurel and stopped being a designer and started building a brand.

The same for Vêtements. The moment it started to have a resonance with the mass, sacrifices were made or the focus changed.

Can we be honest 1 second about the way people consume fashion today?
The huge majority of consumers, all brands reunited are going to brands to buy Jeans, tshirts, sweaters, hoodies and for the most adventurous Outerwear and tailoring.

So you have 2 choices: either you have a brand like AMI that does the commercial stuff perfectly and that is very wardrobe oriented with a very consistent quality or you have a brand that does the huge gap.

I think about a brand like Isabel Marant. It doesn’t have the best quality but it’s consistent in terms of products, aesthetic, cut and price point. But she has already established herself.

But the root of the problem is the lack of technical skills and the fact that he chilled when the commercial success came instead of improving himself.
And so now, without a CEO, he has to handle everything himself while already having a fairly big brand.

I have nothing to disagree with what you rightly observed so perhaps I need to make my point clearer again.

The industry itself is not to blame what I tried to point out was how there was already a structural change happening before Covid, and that was the decline of brick-and-mortar independent retail in favor of online shopping. Multibrand shops with a curatorial buy were an important asset much in the way as magazines were with a less strict guidelines to style editorials. The fact that the former has dramatically shrunk while the latter is now heavily regulated by the brands/advertisers (full look policies, anyone?) have not had the best impact on the plurality of voices in the industry. I look at suspicion on the fact that brands are mainly looking to distribute on their own as we have less perspectives on fashion than before. One look at old publications such as The Face or i-D when it was actually a great magazine should make it clear that something important got lost along the way.

The decrease of independent retailers had the strongest effect on fashion brands without a network of own flagships in major cities and markets. Shops like Maria Luisa or Brown’s come to mind as historically important retailers who put emerging designers on the map. It should come as no surprise that having to run an online shop on your own adds another huge challenge for emerging designers, not only for it’s maintenance but also another amount of bound capital a lot of young designers don’t have. It should come as no surprise then that fashion weeks like New York and London, formerly instrumental as incubators for emerging talent, have lost importance.