Jacquemus - Designer

[LadyJunon]

Bastien Daguzan, Jacquemus' 1st CEO steps down after 1½ years:

Bastien Daguzan Steps Down as Jacquemus President
Designer Simon Porte Jacquemus thanked Daguzan, who was officially at the brand for less than two years.

By EVAN CLARK
DECEMBER 21, 2023, 4:03PM

Bastien Daguzan is parting ways with Jacquemus after less than two years as president of the breakout brand.

Simon Porte Jacquemus, founder, owner and creative director of the 14-year-old designer business, thanked Daguzan in a statement Thursday and said: “Bastien has been a driving force behind the business and its leadership. We wish him well in his new endeavor.”

Likewise, Daguzan said: “I would like to thank Simon for his trust and the incredible journey we have been on together with the team. He has always been an immense source of inspiration; I am so proud to have been a part of this adventure.”

For Daguzan, the adventure began when he started consulting for Jacquemus during his five-year stint as general manager of Paco Rabanne fashion.

In May 2022, Daguzan made the jump and switched over to Jacquemus full time just as the brand was hitting a steep growth curve.

Sales more than doubled in 2021 to top 100 million euros, with more than 30 percent of that going right to the bottom line.

Shortly after Daguzan joined, Jacquemus was tapped for the WWD Honor for Best-Performing Fashion Company, Small Cap. That fall Daguzan said the company was on pace to double sales again in 2022 and was targeting 500 million euros by 2025.

The growth spurt followed along several lines as the company has both accessories and ready-to-wear sold through its own e-commerce site, wholesale accounts and, as of last year, a flagship on Avenue Montaigne in Paris.

It is a fashion machine that employs 300 people and is powered by the designer, who has cultivated an easy connection with customers via the brand’s official Instagram account, which boasts 6.2 million followers.

Daguzan stressed the importance of that digital connection last year.

“Each time we say something on Instagram, you have a queue on Avenue Montaigne,” he said. “And that is the way we work: We create surprises in order to make people dream about us.”

Source: WWD

 

[Salvatore]

Interesting ... I am trying to read into this.

 

[Nimsay]

He knows Jacquemus is a wrap and basically holding on by those tired micro bags. Micro bags are passé now and he has literally nothing else to sell. Oh yea a Snowball maker.

Glad to see the fashion industry packed this clown up and are sending him on his way.

 

[LadyJunon]

Interesting ... I am trying to read into this.

He knows Jacquemus is a wrap and basically holding on by those tired micro bags. Micro bags are passé now and he has literally nothing else to sell. Oh yea a Snowball maker.

Glad to see the fashion industry packed this clown up and are sending him on his way.

I feel like Jacquemus has been at the end of it "golden age" since the middle of last year. When Daguzan was hired, the brand had recently gone through a period of high sales to the point that they were no longer able to process their orders.

While the operations seem to have stabilised, I think that Jacquemus needs to think about the future of his company. His core clientele is getting older and his recent shows (Montagne, Splash, Papier, Papier, Chouchou) was been garnering reception that's been more mixed than overwhelmingly positive.

It might soon be time for him to scale back the viral showmanship and start thinking about brand stability, product quality and physical retail expansion.

 

[Nimsay]

Wat. Jacq is dead honey. I mean he will stil get a few spins before being put to pasture.

He has nothing to sell. No new looks. The Y2K look is out now. Its a wrap for him. I would feel better about his outlook if he had launched a hit perfume.

 

[Lola701]

I wouldn’t kill Jacquemus right now if I was you. He is a good merchandiser.
He is a lazy designer but he understand his time, his audience and the industry.
I’ve seen some shocking prices lately so it seems like he wants to have wider reach and also appeal to some luxury customers.

The opening of the Avenue Montaigne and Courchevel stores also shows his ambitions.

I must admit that I don’t read too much about the change of CEO. I’m more interested to see who the next CEO is going to be….And precisely if he is going to have someone from one of the big conglomerates.

Ultimately, beyond the runway stunts, Jacquemus needs to have a show that shows clothes that are relevant, at least to potential customers. We can’t say that the Versailles show or the one before showed actual clothes..

 

[style_expert]

I'm actually reading into this change given that Daguzan was appointed/upgraded from just CEO to company president just a few weeks ago on December 8th. And now he's leaving effective immediately.

The growth of his company in the past few years really is impressive!
I think his price positioning played a major role in this, I'm not sure if he should target a more upscale customer to be honest. Because the competition in that area is playing in a different league in terms of product and quality and simple hype is not enough to build a sustainable business with that clientele.
With his strong branding (based on...nothing substantial) he may more easily reach commercial success in beauty and fragrance.

I have to say that from my menswear consumer point of view, I find his menswear rather overpriced and uninspiring for what it is. Unsurprisingly it has always been heavily on sale whenever I browse.

 

[LadyJunon]

Jacquemus will be holding their 15th anniversary show in Capri and will be opening a store in Soho this October:

EXCLUSIVE: Jacquemus to Celebrate 15th Anniversary With Show in Capri

The event is scheduled for June 10 at Casa Malaparte, the modernist Italian villa that featured in Jean-Luc Godard's classic film "Contempt."

By JOELLE DIDERICH
FEBRUARY 8, 2024, 1:00AM

PARIS — Fresh off his celebrity-studded spring 2024 show at the Fondation Maeght art museum in the South of France, Simon Porte Jacquemus already has another architectural marvel in his sights for his next runway display.

The French designer who’s known for his sun-drenched Mediterranean aesthetic plans to celebrate the 15th anniversary of his brand with an intimate event on June 10 at Casa Malaparte, the modernist Italian villa set on a clifftop in Capri, WWD has learned.

The brand said it would be the first time the famed location hosts a fashion show.

Jacquemus chose it in tribute to one of his favorite movies, “Le Mépris” (“Contempt”) by Jean-Luc Godard, which features Brigitte Bardot sunbathing nude on the rooftop of the red, arrow-shaped building built by journalist, writer and diplomat Curzio Malaparte between 1938 and 1942.

The villa has fascinated designers including Karl Lagerfeld, who visited the site for five days in 1997 and took a series of Polaroids, which were subsequently published in book form by Steidl in 1998.

Jacquemus featured one of Lagerfeld’s prints of Casa Malaparte on the inside of the suit jackets he and singer Bad Bunny wore to the 2023 Met Gala celebrating the Costume Institute’s “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty” exhibition.

The striking villa has been the backdrop of campaigns including Saint Laurent’s spring 2018 film starring Kate Moss, and a 2019 Louis Vuitton perfume ad featuring Emma Stone. Vuitton also chose the location to unveil its high jewelry collection in 2015.

Known for cinematic runway displays in spectacular locations, including a lavender field and the Palace of Versailles, Jacquemus has an outsized presence on social media thanks to its founder’s engaging personality and eye-catching initiatives, such as last year’s viral video of cars shaped like Bambino handbags whizzing past the Paris Opera.

Surfing on its rapid growth in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the brand signaled it was ready to vault into a bigger league with the opening in 2022 of its first-ever boutique on Avenue Montaigne, one of the world’s most exclusive shopping streets.

As part of its ongoing elevation strategy, Jacquemus is scouting for permanent locations in the U.S. and the Middle East, with plans to open several stores overseas by 2026. Its first boutique Stateside is due to open in New York City’s SoHo district in October, a spokeswoman confirmed.

Source: WWD

 

[nonfatgoddess]

Interesting. I don’t think it’s the end of him but I do agree with what @Lola701 said before that he needs to prioritise developing his brand further to stay relevant and afloat

 

[youthinasia]

Come on budget, let's get sickening!

 

[IloveDiorHomme]

Come on budget, let's get sickening!

OKUUUUUUR !

 

[tourbillions]

Interesting. I don’t think it’s the end of him but I do agree with what @Lola701 said before that he needs to prioritise developing his brand further to stay relevant and afloat

he isnt going anywhere.. people still eating him up both him and his collections

 

[TianCouture]

How is it his 15th anniversary? Someone explain plz, the earliest I remember hearing about him is 2012...

 

[youthinasia]

How is it his 15th anniversary? Someone explain plz, the earliest I remember hearing about him is 2012...

I think it's his 15th show

 

[nonfatgoddess]

he isnt going anywhere.. people still eating him up both him and his collections

It’s all the horny gays of instagram’s fault!

 

[gallianostan]

fifteen years of his bullsh*t just begone already and never come back u silly french cumstain

 

[Cocteau Stone]

How is it his 15th anniversary? Someone explain plz, the earliest I remember hearing about him is 2012...

I think the whole "15th" of it all is bit of a stretch because the brand itself wasn't doing full collections until 2012, but he left ESMOD in 2008 (I think) to start designing/went to Citizen K and had his friends wear his stuff from then onward for the sake of being seen, heard and adored.

I'm just surprised that even after 15 years of "designing" his work still looks like the way it does.

 

[LadyJunon]

How is it his 15th anniversary? Someone explain plz, the earliest I remember hearing about him is 2012...

I think the whole "15th" of it all is bit of a stretch because the brand itself wasn't doing full collections until 2012, but he left ESMOD in 2008 (I think) to start designing/went to Citizen K and had his friends wear his stuff from then onward for the sake of being seen, heard and adored.

I'm just surprised that even after 15 years of "designing" his work still looks like the way it does.

The business started operations in 2009 and his first commercial collection for the Jacquemus brand was called "L'Hiver Froid" for FW10. His debut show was for his sixth collection "La Maison" for SS13. This year will be the brand's 15th anniversary.

 

[tourbillions]

saw interviews of him and he seem very down to earth and unlike how his collections and branding comes of. But i guess as long as theres that someone fantasizing their outfit for their upcoming trip to st tropez, he will be selling. Not like he markets the brand to be an ultra luxe house like chanel/hermes.

 

[philophile]

I used to be a fan since his beginnings and I even got an asymmetrical skirt from his first collection back in the day, way before he became big. Later on, I continued being an avid client of the brand, until around 2021. Since then, I'm not planning to buy anything from him probably ever again.
The man used to have a very playful, refreshing, and fun vision of clothes and he has lost this childlike touch shortly after La Bomba.

Comparing the Jacquemus clientele to the Hermès/Chanel clientele is like comparing apples to oranges. I read a similar comment on another thread about Jacquemus suggesting that people buy his clothes can't afford Chanel. It's like saying someone who buys Margiela can't afford to buy Loro Piana. Believe it or not, not everyone likes Chanel or the conservative rich lady look. Some of us like fashion playful, subversive, or even experimental. People who like fashion come with different tastes and personalities.

Anyhow, I think Jacquemus is trying to be more commercial and understands Gen Z and social media virality very well. He is definitely completely relying on that rather than about the clothes themselves. He just lost it.