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Jacquemus proved its continued pulling power on Monday. Some 200 guests, including Julia Roberts, Kylie Jenner, Kristin Davis and Jenna Lyons, flew to the South of France for the brand’s show, held at the Fondation Maeght.
The collection featured sculptural pieces, rounded shoulders, tailoring, evening bags worn as bracelets and surrealist touches like double-heeled shoes — an aesthetic he calls “pop luxury”. Gigi Hadid, Emily Ratajkowski and Vittoria Ceretti were among the models who walked around artworks by the likes of Alberto Giacometti, Joan Miró and Fernand Léger.
Jacquemus has become ubiquitous thanks to viral products such as the Mini Chiquito bag and the Bambino. Since the Versailles show in June 2023, the brand has been on an elevation journey. This could be seen clearly in the latest collection (corresponding to summer 2024), called “Les Sculptures”.
“I wanted to put the focus on the products. I was tired of being seen as a marketing brand. I wanted to re-emphasise the fact that we make products first and foremost,” Jacquemus told editors after the show.
Jacquemus is now the solo captain of the company following the surprise exit of CEO Bastien Daguzan last month. The former Rabanne executive had successfully contributed to scaling Jacquemus since joining in 2022. ‘President’was added to Daguzan’s title in early December, just weeks before it was announced that he was leaving.
Asked during a preview whether he will look for a new CEO, Jacquemus replied: “I can still have a duo. I will not say CEO or general director — let’s see if I find the right person. At the end of the day, I know where I want the brand to be, I know the price, I know the show soundtrack, I have a vision, and I am sure of it.”
Jacquemus has defied the odds by growing while staying independent in an industry that gives an edge to big groups. He told editors he enjoys the mix of creativity and commercial that comes with running his own business: “I realised at the beginning of the year that this position of being both entrepreneur and designer is what I like best. I need to know what we sold yesterday at the Montaigne flagship to do even better tomorrow — that’s the person I am. I thought I’d forgotten it, but that’s what makes the balance of Jacquemus.”
He dismissed rumours that he would head to Givenchy: “I have a big house to take care of… and what I want to achieve in my life is to make [this] company better and better — not bigger and bigger. I’m 34 years old, and I understand what I really want. I will not compromise,” he told fashion critics, including Vogue Runway’s Luke Leitch, during a preview.
Jacquemus revenues surpassed €200 million in 2022, up from approximately €100 million in 2021, the brand said last year. It generated around €280 million in 2023, according to estimates by Yann Kretz, a principal at consulting firm Laurent Berger.
Its strategy continues to revolve around a higher-end positioning (Jacquemus noted that the brand has started sourcing leather and tailoring from Italy), developing menswear (its fastest-growing category in the last year, according to the designer) and retail expansion. Its first permanent store opened on Paris’s Avenue Montaigne in 2022. The designer revealed plans for stores in New York, London and Dubai before the end of the year. “The US will be a big focus in 2025,” he said.
Buyers praised the new higher-end direction of the collection. Bosse Myhr, director of menswear, womenswear and childrenswear at Selfridges, said it had “a lot of great elements” and was “super wearable”. He pointed to the voluminous cropped jackets and pleated trousers for men and oversized puff sleeves for women. “The first look — the dress coat worn by Gigi Hadid — was a highlight,” he added. “The new Calino bag is the secret ingredient alongside the beautiful double-heeled shoes. We are sure our customers will love this collection.”
Myhr noted that the brand “is performing really well overall, with strong growth coming especially from menswear”. “We are also excited about this season’s launch of kidswear,” he added.
Elizabeth von der Goltz, CEO of Browns and chief fashion and merchandising officer of Farfetch, said the brand is a bestseller. “It’s almost impossible to build an accessory business the way they have, [with] hype products that people can get enough of.”
As in the past seasons, Jacquemus showed outside of the fashion calendar and followed the see-now, buy-now-model, meaning the new collection is already available online and in stores. “It’s very relevant for a brand that is very vocal on social media,” Jacquemus said.
On the collection, he added: “It’s a new sensuality for Jacquemus. It’s not La Bomba [his collection for Spring 2018]; it’s not the young woman I played with in my designs before. There’s a grown-up woman and man. It has been 15 years in fashion. I want to think about the brand in the longer term because I am thinking of the next generation.”
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