Marc Jacobs history - meet the fashion prodigy behind the brand

When it comes to Marc Jacobs history of the label, we could easily declare that the designer Marc Jacobs is a quite unique specimen among fashion giants. He used to be at the helm of not one, but two fashion empires at once, one of the being none other than Vuitton, who helped transform into the label we know of today.

Aside from Vuitton, he is the head and founder of his own fashion label Marc Jacobs, and his diffusion line Marc by Marc Jacobs, leaving no place to wonder why he is often considered to be one of the most influential people in the world.

If you consider yourself a fashion admirer, that Marc Jacobs famous grunge vibe isn’t something than you would easily forget, so on that note, we introduce one of the most iconic American fashion designers and the story of his label, now considered to be one of the most luxurious fashion brands in the world, that can be shopped in our resort too.

Designer Marc Jacobs was born in a Jewish family in New York. When he was a just a child of seven, he faced a trauma that will come to be one of the most defining events of his young life – the death of his father. 

His father died of a condition known as ulcerative colitis, a condition he too suffered from later in life. 

His mother remarried three times afterwards, but the ongoing issue he had with his mother incapacity to take care of him, which he once explained as “mental illness”. Each remarriage meant new location for the family, leaving them bouncing from New Jersey to Bronx.

Her post husband-death life, filled with dating and failed marriages has caused a tremendous upheaval on the entire family, especially on the life of her young son and later on his Marc Jacobs brand history.

Due to feeling alienated from his mother and siblings, young Marc decided to move in with his paternal grandmother on the Manhattan Upper West Side, where he finally managed to feel at home, making this moment an important milestone in creating the future Marc Jacobs brand history. 

Speaking about Marc Jacobs history, Marc’s grandmother was a major fashion influence in his life – well educated and well traveled, she held a deep adoration for all aesthetically beautiful things, while being significantly involved and supportive of Marc’s earliest designs. 

It is thanks to her understanding and unconditional support that they managed to forge a bond, that added some much needed stability in Marc’s life – stability he was lacking before.

Years later, her love and encouragement led him to say: “No one ever said ‘no’ to me about anything. No one ever told me anything was wrong. Never. No one ever said, ‘You can’t be a fashion designer.’ No one ever said, ‘You’re a boy and you can’t take tap-dancing lessons.’ No one ever said, ‘You’re a boy and you can’t have long hair.’ No one ever said, ‘You can’t go out at night because you’re 15 and 15-year-olds don’t go to nightclubs.’ No one said it was wrong to be gay or right to be straight.”

What Marc wanted the most was to become the designer Marc Jacobs we know and love to today, and we can freely say that Marc Jacobs history was truly the one of a fashion prodigy. 

By the age of 15, he was attending the High School of Art and Design during the day, and after school he was working in high-end Charivari boutique. Brand’s staff has allowed him to design sweaters, in between his other tasks such as folding clothes and dressing the mannequins.

Thanks to this type of boutique work, he has managed to get a spot at a coveted Parsons School for Design, where the next chapter of Marc Jacobs history as a label founder and fashion prodigy continues.

As we already mentioned, the important part of Marc Jacobs history and journey as a designer was his time at Parsons school for Design.

Here he really stood out among his classmates, so much so, that he earned both the Perry Ellis Gold Thimble Award and Design Student of the Year at graduation in 1984. Of course, there was no stopping him there when it came to awards – in 1987. he became the youngest ever designer to win the prestigious Council of Fashion Designers of America for New Fashion Talent.  

Quickly after graduating he designed his first collection for the label Sketchbook for Reuben Thomas, citing Amadeus and Purple rain films as his main inspiration for the line. 

After obtaining the prestigious award, he took over as women’s wear designer at Perry Ellis, where he won another prestigious recognition in 1992. – CFDA prize for Womenswear Designer of the Year. As if that wasn’t enough, he won the same award again 5 years later and the Marc Jacobs history really took a new turn.

However, in 1993. Perry Ellis has decided to shut down his manufacturing process – the reason for it was one of Marc Jacobs designs that company absolutely despised, but critics adored. In this case it was a Marc Jacobs design style that was all wrong with the label – the grunge collection that proved to be an essential push for Marc to start his own brand and therefore pave the way for a new chapter in Marc Jacobs brand history.

Speaking about true professional triumphs, being named as creative director of Louis Vuitton, Paris luxury good house, was one for Marc. However, even it was a huge honor and an important milestone in his career, it also brought new pressures and made his personal life uneasy.

This was a time our designer-of-the-hour began a heavy drug use, with cocaine, heroin and alcohol binges at almost every night basis. He felt alcohol gave him superpowers, making him look and feel smarter, taller and more fun to be around. In 1999. he checked into rehab, partially thanks to his close friends’ persuasion, supermodel Naomi Campbell and American Vogue editor in chief – Anna Wintour.

Once he was done with rehab, Marc had an opportunity to come back to work, which meant he managed to design his first ready-to-wear collection for Louis Vuitton, while expanding his own label at the same time, giving the Marc Jacobs history discours a fresh new beginning.

His Marc Jacobs collections are sold at dozens of boutiques all around the world, not to mention that his label expanded to fragrance, makeup and accessories as well. Shortly after his return on the fashion scene in 2002., with collection for Vuitton and his own, Marc Jacobs label, he was named the Menswear Designer of the Year by The Council of Fashion Designers of America. 

Aside from being honored with that award, he also picked up Accessories Designer of the Year in 1998/99, 2003 and 2005 – making him one of the most award-winning and most coveted American designers ever.

Marc Jacobs history, both as a label and a designer, can be summarised as the story of boy wonder, a fashion prodigy, and now one of the most coveted high-fashion designers that continues to turn heads – both with his collections, as well as his personal life.

Marc Jacobs show is always one of the most important shows to see and to be seen at, always gathering the most important people of the fashion world.

Marc Jacobs fashion design and the latest collections are available at the shopping center of our marina. If you are a guest of our luxury resort, make sure to check out other high fashion designers and labels we have in store for you, such as Heidi Klein, PINKO, Burberry, Balmain, Dior and many others that fit your uniques style and personality!