A favourite fashion brand: Jacquemus
Every time a person wearing a strappy linen dress walks by or someone carries a mini bag, viewers are sure to know the designer behind those pieces – that is the legacy founder Simone Porte-Jacquemus is starting to create for his brand.
Founded in 2009, Jacquemus grew in popularity in the summer of 2018 when the founder introduced extremely tiny bags called “Le Chiquito” and “Le Bambino.” Although initially deemed ‘impractical’, a gradual hype was built as viewers saw famous faces like Kendall Jenner, Rihanna and Lizzo wearing the mini bags at red carpet events; pushing Jacquemus’ steady-growing popularity to become one of the most recognised brands worldwide. With a high demand from consumers and positive recognition towards mini bags, brands such as Christian Dior, Balenciaga, and Bottega have also diversified in the past three years to add mini and micro bags to their catalogue – to which some argue Jacquemus was the sole inspiration.
What sets the brand apart from its counterparts is its sustainability mixed with its affordable prices. Compared to other competing luxury French labels, Jacquemus bags are priced at a much lower price point – making them more appealing to younger as well as working consumers. Not to mention the highly aesthetic and equally interactive Instagram posts photographed and curated by the founder himself, which makes the brand more accessible even in its form of communication. These values set Jacquemus a bar above the rest, especially among younger crowds. Furthermore, Jacquemus’ founder has made a conscious decision to showcase his collections twice a year (for summer and winter) in a co-ed show (compared to the usual four showings) – the brand’s transparency hits the bull eye of various consumers in the fashion industry.
With a vision far ahead of his time, Simone Porte-Jacquemus is now on his way to becoming one of the most successful French designers of the past decade – with annual sales projected to reach 200 million Euros by the end of 2022, as mentioned in BoF’s ‘BoF 500’ article. Jacquemus has also landed a multi-year partnership with Nike, whose first collaboration collection sold out in less than 24 hours on the website.
Jacquemus has now opened its first stand-alone flagship store in the heart of Paris, in the famous Avenue Montaigne. The boutique is a nod to Jacquemus’ latest collection, “La Papier”, with a beige monochromatic theme and includes two popcorn vending machines that act as unique selling points of attraction for the consumers.