Discover the touching story behind french designer Jacquemus’ latest collection.

Dear readers,

I had the chance, once again, to attend a Jacquemus show this season. For his fall winter 20 collection, Simon Porte Jacquemus decided to show menswear and womenswear together in a coed collection titled “L’année 97” (the year 1997). The audience was soon to find out why.

The Jacquemus story is very personal and moving at its core. Indeed, Simon decided to name the brand Jacquemus after his mother’s maiden name, who tragically passed away in an accident while he was just starting fashion school in Paris. The tragedy became his fuel to break conventional barriers and start his brand at all costs (and with very little means). What a long way youg Simon has come, recently celebrating the 10-year anniversary of a brand now loved and worn by so many people and stars around the world.

This new collection was, once again, very personal.

At the beginning of the show staged in the huge space of the Paris La Défense Arena, Simon’s voice emerged, explaining the collection’s name in one sentence. “When I was 7, I ripped of a linen curtain and turned it into a skirt that I gifted to my mother. The following day, she wore it to pick me up from school. This is the collection “L’année 97”.

A couple seconds later and here comes Laetita Casta, walking across the huge but simple white floor of the square runway, making her majestuous return on the catwalks, and wearing… what else but a linen beige skirt.

A sea of top models followed in her footsteps, from the Hadid sisters, to Adut Akech, Doutzen Kroes, to name a few. Though presenting a winter collection, the designer stayed true to his south of France origins and dressed the women in his signature sensual fluid dresses. The vast majority of the looks were presented in a muted beige /neutral color palette, with the exception of a couple hot pink flashes. The designer later explained that he wanted to offer a simple, pure collection, true to his essence.

On the menswear side, the collection could be seen as mix between “le gadjo”, Simon’s debut menswear collectio, and tailoring

A florilege of cargo pants, overalls, “butch” attitude – open shirt – accessories.

If perhaps not yet as perfected as his womenswear, the Jacquemus man’s silhouette is still already recognizable.

It is poignant to think that the first and very person he ever made a garment for is no longer here to revel in his brilliant success, yet she is and remains his inspiration to make millions of women and men around the world feel beautiful.

See more impressions from the show including the infamous hair flip by top model Gigi Hadid !

photos by Henri Balit