One to Watch: Simon Porte Jacquemus

Over the last nine or so years, Simon Porte Jacquemus has gone from relative fashion unknown to fashion darling. Along the way his womenswear collections have picked up an LVMH prize along with scores of fans, both online and in the real world. This year, the 28-year-old designer made his first foray into menswear with a non-traditional runway show presented at the Calanque De Sormiou, a stunning white sand beach just outside Marseille, which is not so coincidentally the city from which Jacquemus hails.

The setting provided the perfect backdrop for the designer’s Spring/Summer 2019 collection which was largely comprised of a surprisingly wearable range of knit sweaters, cargo pants, fisherman shorts and flowing shirts paired with colorful matching leather neck accessories and dog tag bracelets.

Entitled "Le Gadjo", which can directly be translated to mean "the gypsy” but is frequently used in this far-flung corner of the Côte D'Azur to simply describe a boy, the collection is notable for its playful masculinity, colorful palette, and body-conscious design. In short, it is every stereotype that you might expect to see in Marseille updated and polished by the discerning eye of a designer who celebrates the street style of his birthplace.

“There are a lot of clichés and I tried to have humor—but without laughing at them, without being tacky. I’m proud of them,” the designer told Vogue.

Stay tuned for more from Monsieur Jacquemus because we most certainly will. After so deftly handling Spring/Summer, one can only look forward with anticipation to see what he comes up with for Fall/Winter.

NewsDuane WellsAugust 21, 2018Menswear, SS19, Beachwear, Swimwear, JacquemusComment