Jacquemus Product Development Pitch

Milica Kovacevic FFC503-21

23/10/2020

Brand Research Introduction

Brand Time Line

The brand I chose to research is Jacquemus. The brand was founded in 2009 by the french designer Simon Porte Jacquemus, for which he designs both men’s and women’s collections as well as accessories for both of these categories. The ethos of the brand is centred around Simon’s lived experience as a designer who grew up and lived majority of his life in the South of France, before moving to Paris to start his brand. Jacquemus designs reflect the landscape and architecture of the South of France, namely Marseille, as well as the romantic and ‘village-chic’ aesthetic of the provincial, southern French woman. The muse for almost all of Jacquemus collections is Simon’s late mother, who died in 2009, and whose photographs and style from the late 1980s and 1990s, Jacquemus channels frequently.

Brand DNA Jacquemus brand DNA is centred around notions of a playful spirit and feminity, while finding beauty in women and men of all shapes, sizes and ages.

Brand Personality: • Anti-bourgeois • Approachable • Playful and Youthful Spirit Brand Values: • Love of femininity • Appreaciation of women and men of all ethnicities, shapes and ages • Energy of the South of France • Emphasis on storytelling

Brand DNA

First time at Vogue Fashion Night Paris 2011

LVMH Emerging Designer Prize E-comm Launch 2015

10 Year Anniversary Designer of the Year 2019

2020

2009 Brand Founding

First Paris Fashion Week 2012

Core Styles

First Photography Collection Book 2017

Second Photography Book Le Citron Restaurant launch

The brand’s womenswear designs are architectural and tailored, celebrating the female body, while playing with ideas of proportion.

Some of Jacquemus’ most recognizable designs include: • form-fitting dresses in linen or poplin • oversized linen blazers in vibrant colours • dress and blazers with slightly exaggerated ballon sleeves • accentuated waist to contrast oversized proportions • sexy, sultry and body-positive clothing

Brand Research Brand Influence

Business Model

Jacquemus has been awarded Brand of The Year by the British Fashion Council in 2019, and has been identified by Vogue as top 20 next-generation brands for 2020.

Jacquemus has 2.9 million followers on Instagram and in 2019, W Magazine proclaimed it ‘Instagram’s Favourite Brand’ which speaks to how influential the brand’s aesthetic and DNA is, especially among the Millennial and Gen-Z target markets.

Jacquemus is one of the few household French luxury brands, that is still independent and has not been acquired by a conglomerat such as LVMH or Kerring.

Jacquemus has been a direct-to-consumer brand since 2015, when the company launched its e-commerce website. Jacquemus sells both women’s and men’s collections, as well as accessories through its e-commerce channel, while also being sold through luxury e-commerce websites such as: • SSENSE • Moda Operandi • Net-a-Porter The brand is also sold in high-end luxury department stores in North America, such as: • Holt Renfrew • Nordstrom • Bergdorf Goodmans

Brand Target Market DIHNCs - Double Income Household, No Children • Females, Age: 25-35 • Stable career, possibly in creative fields • Financialy comfortable, income $50-85k • Higher disposable Income • Live in a metropolitan city • Enjoy going out to restaurants, galleries and museums • Have an awareness of fashion trends • Emphasize uniqness • Spend on aesthetically pleasing fashion, furniture and art • Frequently shop online YASPs - Young Adults Supported by Parents • Females, Age: 17-25 • Students, Interns, Unemployed • Low income, but financialy comfortable • Live in a metropolitan city • Vacations with family/friends • Enjoy going out to restaurants, galleries and museums • Extremely active on social media • Have an awareness of fashion trends • Like to discover new brands, COOL factor • Frequently shop online

Sustainability As far as fashion shows, the unsustainable fashion calendar and abundance of collections go, Jacquemus has decided in 2019 to only create 2 collections per year for both men and women and to have co-ed shows twice a year. Regarding product sustainability, Jacquemus is committed to products that last, while minimizing fabric cut-off and excissive fabric ordering. The brand is also committed to local souricing and focused on using organic cotton and linen based materials.

Critics say...

Due to his quickly acquired cult status on social media, Simon has been told by critics that he should rather be an influecer than a designer. He’s been called by editors ‘strong on branding but short on craft’. As an independent brand, with a very small production team and collections, Jacquemus has been criticised for having a ‘do-it-yourself’, ‘village-chic’ aesthetic, and lack of sophistication.

However, since 2019, the brand operations and output have drastically improved.

Jacquemus has frequently been called ‘obnoxious’ by critics for designing accessories that are meant to go ‘viral’, such as micro bags and oversized straw hats.

é h c r a M Le SS2020

Colour Palette huile d’olive

CMYK 42/40/73/11

fromage

CMYK 1/1/36/0

Design Sketches

Design Sketches

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Product Description

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Concept & Inspiration The concept for the dress draws inspiration from the markets of South of France, which Simon Porte Jacquemus visits frequently and where Simon’s mother and father both used to sell the vegetables grown on their farm. I researched the markets of southern French towns like Marseille, Nîmes and Montpellier situated against a backdrop of old brightly coloured coastal architecture. The colours and their names ‘huile d’olive’ and ‘fromage’ are a nod to frequently visited olive and cheese vendors in these markets. In addition, the colours reference the WGSN trend report on top five colours for womenswear spring/summer 2020, in which tones like olive green and butter yellow were highlighted. The choice of custom designed plaid poplin, references the beautiful French country plaid picnic blankets and tablecloths, and the fact that Jacquemus is known to inject custom plaid or checker in his collections as a nod to village-chic.

Features The silhouette features a drop shoulder, oversized balloon sleeves with buttoned cuffs, as well as a balloon skirt with a circular high-low hem. The dress also features a lace-up corset, adjustable in the back, so that it may fit various waist sizes. The bustier is made out of linen and is juxtaposed against the ‘balloon-y’ oversized poplin dress, in order to speak to the Jacquemus design aesthetic of mixing proportions and accentuating the waist. In addition, the dress features western-style pockets that are not only practical, but also wrap around the side of the dress, while pushing the side seams to the back by two inches, creating a unique design detail. The dress and the pockets are lined in olive green poplin. The lining is important as it is seen due to the back hem being lower, and the fact that it is the same green as the bustier provides for an interesting design feature. Both the fit of the dress which is oversized, but flattering and its functional properties like adjustable bustier lacing and a high-low hem deliver comfort to the wearer without compromising on the Jacquemus design aesthetic.

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Target Market Dresses and blazers are one of the most recognizable Jacquemus categories. Jacquemus dresses, which frequently go viral on social media, are quite coveted amongst the brand’s female target market. This dress design speaks to the Jacquemus women of all shapes and sizes that value unique design, are knowledgeable about fashion and look for the ‘COOL factor’ when purchasing clothes. The dress accentuates the waist to create an hour-glass silhouette, which is something Jacquemus designs are known to do. The looseness of the silhouette on the top provides comfort to women that are ‘bust-y’ or, conversely, more pear shaped and need additional room in the area of hips and thighs as well as more coverage in the back if the wearer needs to bend down potentially. Women of different ages tend to feel self-conscious regarding their arms, and especially upper arms, thus I wanted to create a dress with long sleeves, and a non-constraining drop shoulder to give more comfort and movement to the wearer. Light fabrics such as cotton poplin and linen speak to the spring/summer season the dress is designed to be worn in, while being breathable, soft on the skin as well as low-maintenance over prolonged wear.

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