Jacquemus brings stars and surrealism to Provence

One of fashion's biggest hits, Frenchman Jacquemus, attempted to overcome the recent turbulence in his business with a glamorous show in front of stars including Julia Roberts and Kylie Jenner on Monday.

French fashion scene darling Simon Porte Jacquemus, 34, recently faced the first major turbulence in his career after the sudden departure of his chief executive, Bastien Daguzan, last month.

But he declared himself “relaxed and exactly where I want to be” after his latest show in Provence, southern France.

Displayed among the Maeght Foundation's postmodernist artworks, it was a more restrained and elegant collection than its previous sunny exhibitions in the region's lavender fields or the Camargue marshes.

No more than three colors were displayed on the models, which included Gigi Hadid and Emily Ratajkowski: black and white, with recurring flashes of bright red.

The collection, titled “Sculptures,” mixes simple, elegant designs with touches of surrealism such as exaggerated sleeves and rounded shoulders, or waists and collars that protrude to the sides.

There were references to artists in the room: a leather jacket inspired by one by the sculptor Alberto Giacometti, a bag following the curves of Henry Moore.

An ecstatic Julia Roberts told AFP that everything was “impressive”, almost as impressive as what celebrities usually give on the sidelines of fashion shows.

Professional social media user Kylie Jenner (and her 399 million Instagram subscribers) was also in attendance, along with her five-year-old daughter Stormi.

Jacquemus likes to play the fashion game on her own schedule, showing outside of the official Paris Fashion Week and inviting her VIP guests to a luxurious farmhouse for a glitzy dinner afterwards.

Launched in 2009, the independent brand has seen rapid growth thanks in large part to the founder's astute social media presence: all smiles and warmth, in contrast to the icy elitism of many of his peers.

The company has just one store, on Avenue Montaigne in Paris, and does not publish its results, although it told the Business of Fashion news site that revenues exceeded 200 million euros ($216 million) in 2022 and that it was aiming to 500 million by 2025.

The heart of Jacquemus's business remains bags, particularly the three-inch-long micro bag called the “Chiquito,” made to go viral, in which it would be difficult to keep enough cash to pay for it for about 600 euros. .

This time, the star was the flat-toe “Zizi,” a cross between a dance shoe and a brogue made in collaboration with Repetto.