100 Most Influential People in Fashion

Fashion Influential #19: Marc Jacobs

By Alicia on

Fashion designer Marc Jacobs arrives at the ?? Murakami Gala at MOCA hosted with Louis Vuitton event honoring fashion designer Marc Jacobs held at the Museum of Contemporary Arts on October 28, 2007 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Mark Davis/Getty Images Entertainment)
MARC JACOBS
Born:
April 9, 1969 in New York City, NY
Designs for:
Marc Jacobs, Louis Vuitton, Marc by Marc Jacobs
Friends:
Kim Gordon, Sofia Coppola, Wes Anderson, Winona Ryder
Fan of:
Courtney Love, Nirvana, Sonic Youth

Beginnings.
Marc Jacobs grew up in New York City with his grandmother, who taught him to knit. It was his knitting skills that won him his first major success, when the Sunday Times pictured Jacobs' thick, oversized sweaters (created as his senior project for design school Parsons) in their "On the Street" section.

Career Highs.
Jacobs, who began designing for the Perry Ellis brand after graduating from Parsons, caused a splash with his 1993 "grunge" collection for Perry Ellis. The collection featured typical street wear recreated in opulent fabrics, like an old flannel shirt woven in silk. In 1997, he was named the Creative Director of Louis Vuitton. His own labels, Marc Jacobs and Marc by Marc Jacobs, continue to offer innovative takes on retro cuts and colors.
I don’t have any problem with what people refer to as sexy clothes...I mean, everybody likes sex. The world would be a better place if people just engaged in sex and didn’t worry about it. But what I prefer is that even if someone feels hedonistic, they don’t look it. Curiosity about sex is much more interesting to me than domination. Like, Britney and Paris and Pamela might be someone’s definition of sexy, but they’re not mine. My clothes are not hot. Never. Never.
- Marc Jacobs

Marc Jacobs with his boyfriend, Lorenzo Martone.
Career Lows.
Jacobs is occasionally criticized for regurgitation. Famed fashion designer Oscar de la Renta scoffingly referred to Jacobs as a "copyist"; in 2008 he was accused of plagiarism by a man whose mother had designed a scarf identical to one in Jacobs' Winter 2008 collection in the 1950s. Jacobs prefers to think of his borrowing as reinvention, as he told index magazine: "I love to take things that are everyday and comforting and make them into the most luxurious things in the world."

Legacy.
As the creative director of three of the most sought-after labels in the world, Marc Jacobs' name has become synonymous with contemporary fashion. His ability to borrow from styles past to create new, innovative looks is especially relevant these days, when the global economy is forcing people to rethink their approach to fashion and create new looks from what they already own.

Marc Jacobs Spring 2009 Collection.
Get the Look.
Jacobs often professes his love of cliches. While his designs are often wacky and groundbreaking, they usually feature something wholly familiar as well. Mix and match vintage looks until you hit upon a look that's fresh. Use of vintage jewelry and other accessories, like hats from the '40s and '50s, are also a good idea.

- Alicia