The dA-Zed guide to Marc Jacobs

Marc Jacobs is 40! Well, his brand is. The man himself has been designing under his own name since graduating from Parsons School of Design in 1984, and, if anyone knows how to celebrate, it’s Mr Jacobs. It’s been a busy year of 40th anniversary festivities already: Vaquera reimagined the label’s Stam bag, with Addison Rae fronting the campaign; then Jacobs was invited to become the first ever guest editor of US Vogue for its December 2024 issue; and this week, Dior’s Kim Jones launched a limited edition chain necklace in tribute to the designer. Whew!

Celebrations originally kicked off back in January, with a video of the designer blowing out an enormous, uncontrollably flaming cake. After 11 months of tributes from friends and collaborators including Pat McGrath, Anna Sui and Alistair McKimm, Jacobs has been feeling the love in 2024. So, to round out his 40th anniversary year, we present our dA-Zed guide of all things Marc Jacobs.

A IS FOR ACRYLIC NAILS

After many personal style transformations, Jacob’s latest era is all about his acrylic nails. “I’m on my nail journey right now,” were his words in a recent interview. His latest set, translucent and bedazzled, is done by Yulenny Garcia of the Bronx salon Muñeca.

B IS FOR BIG APPLE

Jacobs, who is now 61-year-old, was born in New York City in April, 1963. After the tragic death of his father when Jacobs was six, he relocated to New Jersey, Long Island and the Bronx each time his mother remarried. He felt most at home after eventually moving in with his grandmother on the Upper West Side. The pair had a close relationship, particularly because she encouraged his creative endeavours.

C IS FOR CHARIVARI

Roughly translated as ‘uproar’ or ‘hullabaloo’ in French, Charivari was an New York boutique that championed avant-garde fashion designers of the 1980s. It first opened in 1967 and expanded to six outlets until it was forced to close in 1998. It was the first luxury store to open on the Upper West Side and also Jacobs’ first job in fashion; he worked at the boutique as a stockboy aged 15.

D IS FOR DEGREE FROM PARSONS

After attending Manhattan’s High School of Art and Design, Jacobs enrolled at Parsons to study fashion design. Not only did he leave with a degree, but a slew of awards too. After presenting his senior collection in 1984, he was awarded the Perry Ellis & Chester Weinberg Gold Thimble Award, as well as being named Design Student of the Year. Three years later, he became the youngest designer to ever win the CFDA’s Perry Ellis Award for New Fashion Talent.

E IS FOR EXAGGERATED EVERYTHING

Hair, heels, shoulders, nails, you name it. To think of Marc Jacobs’ collections today is to think big – literally. Silhouettes are often Brat-like (the doll, not the album), exaggerated wigs, and towering platform boot heels that others have attempted to recreate time and time again. In 2005, the designer told New York magazine that his clothes are strictly “not hot. Never. Never.” But they are fun, and Jacobs continues to deliver surprises with every collection.

F IS FOR FRAGRANCE

Jacobs designed his first collection under the Marc Jacobs label barely two years after graduating, in 1986. But it wasn’t until almost two decades later that he branched into perfume. In 2007, he released Daisy, named after his dog, who in turn was named after The Great Gatsby’s Daisy Buchanan. A concoction of violet, jasmine and note of wild berries, the scent was one of the most popular fragrances of the 2010s, and even up until now, is said to bring in around $300 million dollars annually. This year the brand released its latest scent Perfect, which sits alongside the currently existing seven iterations of Daisy.

G IS FOR GRUNGE

Having been appointed creative director of US sportswear brand Perry Ellis in 1988, on 3 November 1992, Jacobs showed a collection that would rock the industry. With the rise of bands like Nirvana and Hole in the late 80s, also came the rise of grunge. Using two-dollar second-hand flannel shirts, Kurt Cobain’s floral granny dress and untied Doc Martens, Jacobs tapped into the chaotic, grunge aesthetic that was quickly taking over the world. Unfortunately it came at a cost, Jacobs was dropped by Perry Ellis shortly after and the collection was scrapped – despite the fashion press crowning him the ‘guru of grunge’.

H IS FOR HEAVEN

In 2020, Jacobs revisited his grunge foundations by launching his current diffusion line, Heaven by Marc Jacobs, taking inspiration from 90s grunge and rave culture whilst, somehow, remaining cute – and becoming Gen Z’s dream brand in the process. Featuring pastel tones, angels, teddy bears, Claire Barrow illustrations and baby tees, Heaven quickly caught the attention of the TikTok generation, which went into overdrive when that cloutbomb couch campaign dropped. Since then, Heaven has released some more killer campaigns with Pamela Anderson, Ice Spice, Doja Cat, Charli xcx, Nicki Minaj and even Kyle MacLachlan.

I IS FOR ICONIC RUNWAY MOMENTS 

Whether it’s Miley Cyrus or Lady Gaga walking his shows, Jacobs’ roster of celebrity friends has often spilled onto the catwalk. But more than simply relying on famous models, when Jacobs was appointed creative director of Louis Vuitton in 1997, he didn’t hold back when it came to set design. Take his SS13 show for example, which saw models come two-by-two down four escalators in a fully chequered collection. Or, the time he had a steam train pull up for AW12 – the Louis Vuitton Express, to be exact, paying homage to the brand’s history in luggage design.

J IS FOR JACOBS DUFFY DESIGNS

Long before Vuitton, Perry Ellis or Heaven, Jacobs’ first venture was Jacobs Duffy Designs. Working alongside American businessman Robert Duffy, Jacobs began the line during the mid-80s, merging the two of their names. The pair met after Duffy viewed Jacobs’ designs whilst he was still at Parsons and went on to co-found the Marc Jacobs label and Marc by Marc Jacobs diffusion line.

K IS FOR KIM 

Lil’ Kim, that is. Among his celebrity friends, of which there are many – see ‘W’ for proof – one of his true besties is the legendary rapper. Before they met at his show in 2004, it’s said that Jacobs could only pick fabrics when listening to “How Many Licks?”, and after establishing a friendship, Kim even started to include Jacobs in her lyrics: “Hold on, let me take this call/Marc Jacobs on line two,” she raps on the “O Let’s Do It” remix.

L IS FOR LOUIS VUITTON

Last year, when Pharrell was appointed the new creative director of menswear at Louis Vuitton, he referred to the label as “the house that [Marc] built”. And in terms of clothing, he’s not wrong. Vuitton may have debuted its first luggage trunks in the 1850s, but it wasn’t until 1997 that it decided to introduce ready-to-wear, and hired Jacobs as the man for the job. As creative director of the French maison, the designer presented his first collection for LV during Paris Fashion Week, in March 1998.

M IS FOR MARC BY MARC JACOBS

By the turn of the millenium, everyone wanted a slice of Marc Jacobs, but not everyone could afford it. Enter: Marc by Marc Jacobs, a diffusion line secondary to the main collection that was more affordable than the luxe, high fashion creations. Some products including t-shirts and purses retailed for less than £20, though the line shuttered surprisingly in 2015 despite reportedly bringing in 70 per cent of revenue for the business.

N IS FOR NEVILLE JACOBS

Neville Jacobs is undoubtedly one of fashion’s most famous four-legged friends. Joining the ranks of Choupette and Tom Ford’s pampered pooches, Jacobs’ beloved bull terrier has his own Instagram account, Paper magazine cover, and even a coffee table book in his honour. Worryingly, Neville hasn’t posted on Insta since last year – hopefully he’s just taken a long walk.

O IS FOR OSCAR HOPEFUL

Jacobs made his acting debut in 2012, starring alongside Alexander Skarsgård and Jason Bateman in Disconnect, a dramatic thriller about people struggling to connect in a digital world. Was he aiming for the Academy Awards? Not quite. In fact, he quickly confessed that it would be his “first and last film ever”.

P IS FOR PERRY ELLIS

Prior to the aforementioned, controversial grunge collection, Jacobs was made creative director of all-American sportswear brand Perry Ellis in 1988, while business partner Robert Duffy became vice president. After four years at the brand, in 1992, the CFDA awarded Jacobs with Womenswear Designer of the Year – basically the equivalent of Best Actor at the Oscars. Though, despite his success, grunge happened in the same year, ultimately leading to his dismissal.

Q IS FOR QUEER RIGHTS

In 2009, Jacobs released two t-shirts demanding the legalistation of gay marriage in the US. Slogans read ‘I pay my taxes, I want my RIGHTS!’ and showed queer couples embracing. Meanwhile, in 2011, Jacobs teamed up with the Human Rights Campaign to create a wedding scene window display at one of his stores, again campaigning for gay marriage. Despite his efforts, gay marriage wasn’t legalised in the US until 2015, just nine years ago.

R IS FOR RACCOON DOGS

In 2013, Jacobs found himself in a spot of bother as his ‘faux fur’ turned out to be not so faux. In fact, it was revealed that the brand had been using the fur of Chinese raccoon dogs, exotic members of the fox family named for their raccoon-like faces. Whoops… or should I say, woof?

S IS FOR SOBRIETY

Jacobs has been consistently candid on social media about his sobriety. After spending time in rehab for alcohol abuse and drug use in 1999 and again in 2007, Jacobs has been sober for a number of years. He has the word ‘shameless’ tattooed on his chest as a reminder of his constant quest for honesty and openness, which is also true of his attitude to cosmetic work (see ‘U’).

T IS FOR TAKASHI MURAKAMI

Murakami, alongside Stephen Sprouse and Richard Prince, are just a few of the artists he collaborated with during his time at Louis Vuitton. Jacobs credits Japanese artist Takashi Murakami as his favourite artist collaboration to date, a relationship which began in 2002 with the ‘Multicolore’ twist on the classic LV logo. It sparked a 13-year collab, ceasing only in 2015, when Nicolas Ghesquière replaced Jacobs as creative director.

U IS FOR UNDER THE KNIFE

In 2021, Jacobs decided to document his facelift recovery via Instagram. Using the hashtag #LiveLoveLift, he posted pictures of himself on the app, swaddled in bandages and framed by drainage tubes. “I don’t even see it as an effort to be transparent. I’m doing what I normally do, which is living my life and sharing it with anybody who is interested,” he said in an interview at the time.

V IS FOR VAQUERA 

While Jacobs was busy earlier this year guest curating the December issue of American Vogue, New York brand Vaquera was given free rein to reimagine the Stam bag. The faux fur (legit this time) creation is a stroppy brat-ified version of the handbag, featuring dollar bill clip-ons and Addison Rae as the face of the campaign.

W IS FOR WEDDING OF THE YEAR

In 2019, Jacobs married his longtime partner Charly “Char” Defrancesco in NYC, followed by a knees-up at the Grill Room. Lil’ Kim was there, of course, as was Christy Turlington, Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Gigi and Bella Hadid, Christina Ricci and Anna Wintour. The couple got engaged in a Chipotle restaurant with the help of a flash mob, who danced to Prince’s “Kiss”.

X IS FOR X-RATED INSTA PICS

Whilst Jacobs loves to get candid on IG, in 2015, he accidentally revealed more than he was meant to, sharing an ass-baring dick pic to his feed with the caption “It’s yours to try!”. In a genius move, later that year, the designer turned his internet gaffe into a marketing tool – launching a line of t-shirts with the slogan: ‘themarcjacobs It’s yours to try!’

Y IS FOR YVES SAINT LAURENT

In the past, Jacobs has referenced Ralph Lauren as one of his fashion heroes, though it’s YSL that takes the crown as his favourite: “My greatest hero in fashion will probably always be Yves Saint Laurent,” he said in an interview from 2010. That said, it’s Chanel that he has his sights on: “There’s only one job I want,” he said in an interview last month, “and I haven’t been asked to do it.”

Z IS FOR ZOOLANDER

In the run-up to the release of Zoolander 2 back in 2016, Jacobs and friends almost broke the internet by reenacting the “orange mocha frappuccino” scene from the original movie. Filmed during a holiday to St. Barths, the spoof is complete with Wham!’s “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”, an open-top jeep, and a water fight (cannily replacing the petrol from the scene). It’s pretty much a TikTok video before TikTok existed, proving again that Marc Jacobs has always been leading the pack.