đ Hello and happy new year! â€ïž Weâre The Z Link, a global Gen Z-led social media agency that helps brands reach our generation. The Digital Native, written by our Trends Reporter, Shaurya, takes a deep dive into niche internet micro-trends and subcultures, and analyzes them so you donât have to. For any feedback, questions or suggestions, just reply to this email!
Fashion student reporting for her once in a blue moon fashion related newsletter. Iâm thinking, if this goes well, Iâll convince my boss to let me write more fashion related stuff. It would really kickstart my wannabe Anna Wintour and Miranda Priestly career. I feel so bitchy (can I cuss? I think the occasion calls for it) every time I talk about clothes. If you want to know how serious I am about that last statement, I dressed up as Andy (pre-transformation) for Halloween. I actually didnât, Iâm lying. I went straight from uni to the halloween party and made something up because I didnât want to be on the wall of shame. đâđ»Â (Edit: This is Shauryaâs boss editing. I was hosting the Halloween party and can confirm I threatened wall of shame because she had no costume.) But NEXT YEAR? Miranda Priestly, trustâŒïžÂ Come walk this runway with me like weâre Bella and Kendall while I tell you everything about one of my favourite brands. đ€Ș
Chapter I: Jacquemus â the man, the myth, the legend
Simon Porte Jacquemus (the absolute love of my life, btw) launched his eponymous brand in 2009 and quickly gained prominence in the industry. Heâs won several awards like the LVMH Special Jury Prize in 2015 and two years later, the Fashion Directorâs Choice Award at the ELLE Style Awards. Rei Kawakuboâs husband, Adrian Joffe, only sung praises of the young designer. Joffe said he recognised âa freshness and an originality, but most important a strong vision.â Which is true, when you look at Jacquemusâ designs, they seem simple but theyâre so well structured and ACTUALLY have a different silhouette from what weâre used to seeing on the runways. Jacquemus is also one of the most affordable brands to buy to get into the world of luxury fashion. And yes okay, you could buy the H&M collaborations with Paco Rabanne and Mugler but itâs just not the same, you know? You wonât get the same quality or silhouettes. And as a side note, I love Rabanne and Muglerâs brands barring the H&M collaboration. Iâve got my eyes on the Mugler fragrances. >:)
Back to Mr. Simon though. The designer gets his inspiration from his mother who tragically passed when he was a teen. He started his label to honour his mother who serves as muse for him to this day. A lot of his work is influenced by the French countryside and he pays homage to his place of upbringing by staging shows there. The infamous pink runway for his 2020 spring summer collection and the spring summer 2021 collection as well, were both staged in the South of France.
Now if youâre not familiar with the fashion house, let me give you a lilâ overview. His clothes are basically art. The different and deconstructed silhouette is so beautiful. I promise Iâll analyse a collection further in the newsletter but for now letâs focus on how he broke the internet multiple times from the maisonâs aesthetic to revolutionary products like the Chiquito bag.
Chapter II: The algorithm hacker
Time and again we see Jacquemusâ campaigns make their rounds on social media, have THEY finally cracked the code to virality? Not quite. See people can go consistently viral but still not be talked about, and vice-versa. Fashion brands and celebrities fall into the latter, because even if theyâre not making rounds on social media, they are still talked about a lot. Thatâs just PR. Fashion brands can go consistently viral but they donât necessarily need it, theyâre talked about regardless. Look at Coperni for example. They made headlines with their spray-on dress and were talked about for a while but now I rarely see them in the non-fashion spheres. However, Jacquemus has made itself a household name. 2018 marks the beginning of this fame for the designer and the house.
The spring summer 2018 show â La Bomba â was a departure from his usual geometry and structure and he also debuted his Chiquito bag. The entire collection left such an impression because during this time brands were scrambling to get high fashion x streetwear collaborations that are popular to this day. But Jacquemus went against the grain, in terms of trends and what they usually produced. In fact, he actually started the trend of small bags. So, you know, go against the grain and you might end up starting the next trend. This is why deviance and experimentation is so, so important.
Another one of Jacquemusâ highly talked about shows is the 10th anniversary show. For this, the creative director pays homage to his Provençal roots and takes us to the lavender fields in Valensole. Simon references Hockney in the ramp thatâll be graced by the models wearing his newest collection called Le Coup de Soleil inspired by CĂ©zane and Lurçat. He stays true to his philosophy of not-too-bourgeois which is also reflected in his humility when talking about his collection. While speaking with Vogue, the designer refers to the lavender fields and says that âsome people will only remember the lavender while some would see the similarity with Hockney.â He further adds how he wants âeveryone to understand [his] work.â
Chapter III: Walk the walk, talk the talk
Listen, what Iâm about to say might seem farfetched but it really doesnât feel like it when I explain it. Right, are you ready? Jacquemus is to fashion what Michael Jackson was to music. There. I said it. Now let me explain. Jackson was an industry disruptor and so is Jacquemus. Could I have taken another musician to explain? Yes, but I have a flair for the dramatics and I wanted to get my point across. But when you look at the runway shows heâs done, heâs right up there with some of the most iconic runways weâve seen. He IS doing things differently and heâs marching to the rhythm of his own beat. I think for the longest time he didnât allow any investors and he still doesnât have any investors. While talking to LoĂŻc Prigent, Simon says that not having any financial backing has actually helped him stay grounded in reality. He couldâve had financial backing but couldâve disconnected from his work and his creation. Which is something we see a lot in the industry. Not to be too harsh but Chanel and Dior have been a snoozefest the last couple of seasons. đ€·đ»ââïž
Back to some of Jacquemusâ famous runways though. Iâve already spoken about THE lavender runway, now itâs time for the swimming pool show, a name he lovingly gave to his SS15 show. And rightfully so, the collection was filled with candy coloured nautical stripes along with amateur (but not really) doodles. The tailoring was as fine as ever but on asymmetrical silhouettes. There was a slight hint of activewear, though you couldnât wear them for that purpose, via the styling. The models were all styled in sneakers with white socks and wet hair with a side part. Dewey, no make-up looks were seen across the whole presentation. Now for the set design. It was pretty minimalistic with yellow floaties and a foldable beach chair in the background for props. The lighting made sure to illuminate the modelsâ bodies to enhance the dewey, been-out-of-the-pool-for-5-minutes look. All in all, the collection was received very well and for good reason, it was beautiful.
In the following year though, he produced one of my favourite collections. Le Nez Rouge (the red nose), was a collection that boldly featured only 4 colours â deep shades of red and blue paired with white and grey. Like other Jacquemus collections, the catwalk was graced with more asymmetrical shapes and avant-garde tailoring. Jacquemusâ clothes are if avant-garde was made accessible and accepted as daily wear. Juxtaposing the clothes, the set design was kept minimalist, simple and straightforward.
While his sets might be simple, his clothes arenât. Which is why I want to draw comparison to Jeremy Scottâs Moschino and Karl Lagerfeldâs Chanel. So Moschino (specifically Scottâs), if you donât know, is known for avant garde fashion. Theyâre not exactly day-to-day wear but work perfectly on the red carpets and ESPECIALLY the Met Gala. Katy Perryâs chandelier dress? Karl Lagerfeldâs collections for Chanel, however, a lot more wearable but still had that feel of avant-garde and outrageousness to them, you know? Is it huge comparing our humble and sweet Simon to Jeremy and a legend (albeit problematic) Karl? Yes. But when you look at the quality of designs and tailoring, youâd want to have an award named after him.
Chapter IV: Online icon
ITâS TIIIIIIIIIIME. Time to analyse my favourite thing about a brand â their social media presence, because if you donât have a strong social media game, youâre practically half the population after Thanos he snaps his fingers. BUT JACQUEMUS? OH HE STAYS WINNING.
So his Instagram isnât exactly how other brandsâ Instagrams work. Itâs a work + personal Instagram so I do think he gets a lot of his popularity because of how candid it is. You can see campaigns, behind-the-scenes and Simonâs personal life. You can call it parasocialism or you can call it candour, either way, heâs once again deviating from the norm. His Instagram isnât uptight and his campaigns somehow all work so cohesively when placed on a square grid of 3. And if youâre feeling extra cold this winter because climate change and whatnot, head over to Jacquemusâ Instagram to feel all the good summery vibes because thatâs what itâs filled with.
Oh and this man? HEâŒïžÂ CLAPSâŒïžÂ BACKâŒïžÂ How? In 2022, he received a homophobic comment and he put the user of the account on blast saying his bags donât want them. I, for one, think thatâs iconic.
Chapter V: The marketing genius arc
Have you seen buses shaped like Jacquemus bags on the streets? Or at least on social media because how are they going to get on the streets, duh. Or have you heard of Jacquemousse â Jacquemusâ younger evil brother? Iâm kidding, it was their spring/summer 2021 campaign and an amazing one at that. Okay if neither of those, have you at least heard about the pop-ups? You know, because he doesnât have brick-and-mortar stores? No? Okay, well, thatâs why Iâm here so⊠Allez, I guess? (Writer hates the French language for deeply personal reasons but the French felt appropriate here)
So starting with the buses, another one of Jacquemusâ campaigns where heâs been dabbling in Meta advertising which is essentially making 3D renders and using them in conjunction with AR and VR technology. Jacquemus is a pioneering force in whatâs called experiential marketing. Basically, heâs creating all these experiences virtually and physically which eventually get talked about everywhere, on social media and word of mouth. And as a side note: people donât understand how important word-of-mouth still is because itâs technically an algorithm in the real world.
Another takeaway from our favourite Frenchman is that not all your campaigns have to have a storyline necessarily. Jacquemousse didnât, but it caught peopleâs attention and had a very strong CONCEPT.
The end
Simon has not only taught us how to build a brand, but build a life thatâs worth living. His philosophy is quite simple, have passion for what you do, youâll align with the right people eventually. The reason for his skyrocketing success is simply the fact that he never let his creativity be bought out. His passion screams through his work which is why people go crazy for it. Not only does he create inclusivity in terms of diversity, he creates inclusivity via interpretation. His products are for everyone. Iâve always said this to people and Iâll say it again, fall in love with the process. Whatever it is that you want, will end up loving you back and coming to you. (I also tell people to have a strong visual brand identity but I think thatâs been made very clear in this newsletter.)
Any questions/suggestions as to what we should cover next? Reach out to us and weâre always here to chat!
â Written by Shaurya, Trends Reporter at The Z Link
Connect with Shaurya on Instagram where she shares great content and lives her best influencer life as a fashion student in London. And she writes all of these great issues too. What canât she do??? đ§ Thank you for reading!
i ALSO hate french due to deeply personal issues (IGCSE trauma)