Even Acne Studios, best known for slouchy Scandi cashmere Louis Vuitton left and Tommy Hilfiger above are among “There is a street style look that people think of as Swedish but it’s n
Trang 616 Neil before God
Depression shouldn’t be a dirty word
20 This page is lit
Arbiter by Ivan Lim
Trang 8145 What it feels like…
…to be a nude model
146 What I’ve learned
Trang 10M a H B
156 Food
Dom Pérignon Plénitude Suite at Stellar 1-Altitude
Trang 12By permission of Hearst Communications, Inc., New York, New York, United States of America.
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Editors-in-chief Bulgaria
Trang 14x (from a friend in N ew
York) M
y mate, Aletheia Sim, sent
it to me as part
of my or der from her apothecar
y brand,
Mmerci
Encore
, and inex orably , I had to her seek out
Toda
y, those wor
ds—inspired b
y faith,
infused with hope—serv
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deadline
s loom, the stories pile , and the schedule
explode s: you ar
tone: what hav
e our subjects le arned? What is their
truth? What do the
s,
boundles
s g race
NORMAN T AN
Editor-in-chief
, E squire Singapor e
14
This way in
Ed ito r’s le tte r
Trang 16Neil Before God
Each issue, Esquire Singapore asks Neil Humphreys to focus on a diferent emotion
This time it’s sadness as he wonders if, like him, too many Singaporeans are struggling in silence with the D-word.
On every trip, the driver on my feeder bus says
“good morning” repeatedly, to each passenger Every
Single Time
When I’m in a good mood, he’s endearing and
uplifting When I’m depressed, he’s like a creepy clown
at a children’s party He’s only a green wig and some
face paint away from shouting, “why so serious?”
On the irst couple of occasions, his sparkly eyes and
seductive “good morning” gave me the vague idea that
he might fancy me, which would be awkward, from a
legal standpoint if nothing else
And then I watched him repeat the greeting with
other passengers and felt strangely disappointed that
he wasn’t interested in a gangly ang moh wearing
yesterday’s shorts and vest
It’s a true story, the kind of quirky slice of Singaporean
life that has illed my books and columns, but in this
instance there’s an element of comedic chicanery, a
self-deprecating attempt to delect from the only adjective
that matters
Depressed
When I’m depressed
It was glossed over, almost missed, an emotional
device used to make the story irreverent, an everyday
vignette to gently persuade the reader to smile and
move on There’s nothing to see here
Or at least, nothing the audience particularly wants
to see An audience, quite rightly, is only interested in
the joke, not the journey
The comedian who leaps on stage talking about his
perfect day dies on stage But the comedian who rages
against Trump, Brexit, ministerial salaries, SMRT,
ignorance and stupidity owns his audience
Sometimes, the only diference between comedy
and depression is the quality of the punchline One
helps to mask the other
Depression is the noun that cannot be named,
not really The risk of being judged is too great So
depression is either channelled into an easy laugh, as
above, or trivialised as a throwaway adjective (“my new
iPhone is cracked I’m, like, totally depressed.”)
But depression changes everything The bus driver
didn’t change I did He is always the same lucky character, but my character occasionally morphs into something darker And then his ingratiating brightness aggravates my darkness
happy-go-So my own response is to mock his cheeriness, ridicule his public gaiety and do just about anything except acknowledge that it’s not him It’s me It’s a lot
of us
Men don’t talk about depression, but their faces usually betray them The eyes have it Like that child actor who saw ghosts, I see depressed people all the time It’s like being a member of a secret depression club Instead of silly, masonic handshakes, we carry invisible mirrors We see ourselves in other people But we say nothing, especially in Singapore
Last year, an Institute of Mental Health study found that women, particularly those aged between 18 and 34, were more prone to depression than men But Dr Mok Yee Ming, an IMH senior consultant, pointed out that men are less likely to seek help than women, which is not surprising
There is little room for male depression in a conservative, patriarchal society, one mostly wedded to the Confucian philosophy of ilial piety The son is often responsible for one’s elders, but lacks the protection of
a catch-all safety net
After all, we do not like welfare We do not train
to be socialists here Welfare is for the weak Welfare deserves no mercy Yes, I’m paraphrasing Cobra Kai in
The Karate Kid, but welfare and depression are pretty
much interchangeable in this instance Both can get bullied into submission or bullied into outright denial.Self-help, ilial piety, National Service and our interminable obsession with materialism and social
D E P R E S S I O N
16
Column
Trang 17“A state of mind”
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Trang 18standing hammer home the same, archaic tenets of
masculinity Step up Be a man Provide Protect Be a
success, not a snowlake
But the brain just doesn’t work that way Mental
health can’t be licked from one side to the other like a
TV channel As The Clash once sang, ‘one day it’s fine,
the next it’s black.’ You can’t ‘snap out of it’ anymore
than you can snap out of a broken arm
But who wants to admit that in a patriarchal society
that emphasises ilial piety? Self-doubt is for suckers
Self-reliance is the mantra here
In this context, it’s easy to accept Dr Mok’s claim,
backed by overseas studies, that men are less likely to
seek assistance for their mental health or even admit
to anyone that an issue exists They sufer in silence Of
course they do
Singaporeans are reluctant to reveal who they
intend to vote for at the next election, knowing that it’s
more fashionable to wear lares and a gold medallion
than be a member of the ‘70 per cent majority’ So are
they seriously going to admit that they are struggling
with a mental health issue that may negatively afect
their career, inances and way of life?
Of course not
So what can we do? We take small steps We talk to
someone, anyone, in conidence if necessary There is
always someone willing to listen
In my apartment, we play the numbers game Between numbers one and 10, what’s Daddy’s mood today? Anything over a six or seven is playtime Anything under a ive and Daddy is generally left alone Sometimes, the game succeeds Sometimes it doesn’t Like all aspects
of mental health, I’m a work in progress
Writing helps, as it obviously does for the brave contributors to the excellent Tapestry Project, a Singaporean website that focuses on mental health recovery
But the real hero is my wife for not treating me like a villain (on this issue She still goes ape-shit when I don’t put her kitchen containers away properly.)
She understands the diference between illness and deiciency and the medical reality that I cannot swap stormy skies for instant sunshine any more than I can control the actual weather
And she’s not alone There are organisations and understanding voices on the end of a phone, most of which are just a Google search away Find them Try and get a conversation going, with strangers irst if necessary, and then hopefully move on to friends and family later
And maybe our stubborn, patriarchal society will learn that male depression isn’t a weakness to be hidden away, but a health issue that requires profound strength
to overcome.
Sometimes, the only diference between comedy and depression is
the quality of the punchline One helps to mask the other.
18
Column
Trang 19BE BURO WWW.BURO247 SG
Trang 20His arbiter
The searing midday sun, searched all, spared none The plebeian lunch crowd, shielding its eyes, cursing the heat, shufled along the belly of Boat Quay, comparing lunch deals Above their futility, behind reflective glass fixed over the balcony of his shophouse ofice, the genteel Geofrey Long, sage tailor of Singapore, sipped white tea while presiding over the vivacious river
At 60 years, with a full head of grey on noble shoulders, Geofrey was beyond the caprice of the press He declined interviews and existed solely for the execution and perfection of his art His business came mostly from royal families, government oficials and business leaders in Asia, where he was trusted adviser over their public image
“Let the mirror guide,” he would say, delighting in his lifelong friend, his Arbiter, between misinformed “preferences” and his recommendations The average order being 20 suits, Geofrey was endlessly engaged
in travelling for new commissions and fulfilling them Requests from the public were possible, but by appointment only His professorial guidance was esteemed by novice clients, who matured swiftly over the course of several fittings A permanently basted jacket on a mannequin was the teaching aid of choice This, he assembled and disassembled with ease, thus illustrating his exegesis Sermons could encompass doctrines on Neapolitan shoulder design or elucidate the exacting intricacies of skeleton lining With the latter, it helped justify the refreshing leap in costs
20
This page is lit
Trang 21To champion the art of storytelling, Esquire Singapore
invites a writer each month to pen an original work inspired by this issue’s theme
This month, Ivan Lim ponders the inevitability of life.
Gradations of gold, ochre, red, blue—hues of twilight swirled and
romanced as the force of day receded A hesitant creaking of stairs,
then, two raps on the door It was a face he recognised, had sympathy
for, but dreaded—
“Have a seat.”
“Your phone was of Our father—finally passed.”
“When?”
“This morning He left you his watch.”
“Our father”—Geofrey loathed the implied relation.
“The cremation is in three days Will you carry the cofin?”
“I’ll think about it.”
“I won’t take up more of your time, see you.”
Alone—disordered, in his armchair His half-brother’s face—the
face of his deprivation, and the childhood Geofrey worked tirelessly
to overcome There, was the face of his father, who left him and his
seamstress mother when Geofrey was too young—incomprehensible
cruelty—deformity of nature—a departure to the wilderness of
humanity which eventually devoured its wanderer Yet, with the
compassion of time, Geofrey realised, no man, venturing into his
wilderness, intended on being lost.
In the blank screen of Geofrey’s iPhone—his Arbiter Against
enflamed eyes, clenched jaws, murderous rage, he was presented a
choice; lose himself in another wilderness or rise above his torment
Forgiveness.
Geofrey arose From his top shelves, he chose, the most honorific,
Loro Piana-milled, Super 170s, Australian merino wool in resolute,
restrained, basalt black He began drafting his funeral suit.
He would carry the cofin On cremation day, the fine character of
the suit, its sheer masterful construction, the inner wrenching of its
wearer, would be known only to Geofrey—and his Arbiter.
This page is lit
Trang 23Slim(ane) pickings
He’s the new style guru for Celine, but what is
Hedi Slimane doing diferently?
Under the radar
That’s a phrase that will never be used to describe the Omega Seamaster Diver.
Style
Trang 24Above: blue/camouflage print polyester reversible faux-fur parka,
by Fjällräven x Acne Studios.
In June this year, the world’s most famous rapper walked into outdoor surplus store Victor Outdoor Seconds in Victor, Idaho (population 2,055) and proclaimed that he was “going to buy a lot
of stuf”
After 45 minutes, Kanye West had stufed 13 big plastic sacks full of retro ski jackets, combat trousers, moth-bitten leeces and trail-running shoes Initially, the shop’s owner, Jennifer Bandow, had no idea who he was
Far from the spontaneous twitch of a consumerist lunatic (though he might still be that), West had found untapped inspiration in middle America for his premium fashion line, Yeezy
It would be safe to assume that the brand’s next season will lean
on the hottest trend of the moment: the Great Outdoors
Whether it’s half-zip leeces, walking boots, ishing vests or Gore-Tex windbreakers, the fashion industry is currently looking much more closely at the Pennines than it is at Pigalle It’s an obsession with all things technical and tactical that saw Kim Jones in his inal show for Louis Vuitton deck out models in ski jackets, compression leggings and chunky, heavy-eyelet hiking boots inished in the brand’s rareied monogram Even Hermès,
a maison whose standing needs little by way of introduction, has
24
Style
Essentials of style
Trang 25Left, from top: brown leather-nylon hiking boots, by Danner; monogram titanium leather- trimmed zipper tote,
by Louis Vuitton; black Gore-Tex Speedcross 4 trail-running shoes, by Salomon, available at Ellis Brigham.
launched a range of mountain-inspired knits and outerwear Not
to mention the likes of Boss, Lanvin, Tommy Hiliger and Prada,
brands that have all channelled a decidedly al fresco aesthetic for
the colder months
A natural evolution of the recent sportswear takeover, it’s just
as much about how your clothes perform as it is about how they
look It’s why this trend is far from exclusive to the big directional
brands—some of the coolest garb out there is from brands such as
Patagonia, Arc’Teryx and Danner, all the kind of stuf you actually
wear in the wilderness
Your idea of a rewarding outdoor pursuit might be the frigid
tiptoe to the hot tub at Soho Farmhouse in late November, but that
North Face Fantasy Ridge parka idling in your room could tackle
the Three Peaks Challenge if called upon Good to know, eh?
Even Acne Studios, best known for slouchy Scandi cashmere
Louis Vuitton (left)
and Tommy Hilfiger
(above) are among
“There is a street style look that people think of as Swedish but it’s not one that’s about functionality,” says Jonny Johansson, creative director of Acne Studios “Fjällräven show a diferent side to Swedishness because they are obsessed with functionality Explorers wear their garments on polar expeditions They are functional without being futuristic The pieces are human.”
So whether you’re a seasoned outdoorsman or a precious city-dweller, this winter is all about embracing your inner hunter-gatherer/hardcore Swedish zip-of-trouser wearer.
Style
Essentials of style
Trang 26The good, the bad and the ugly
Our associate fashion editor, Eugene Lim, relects on Hedi Slimane’s debut at Celine.
The show began with two drummers from the Garde Republicaine in ceremonial uniforms playing a drumroll Curtains were pulled back to reveal a kaleidoscope of mirrors, with a model
in the opening look, suspended within, before making her way down the runway
As we watched the show unfold, one thing was clear: Slimane had wiped away everything that Celine once stood for and replaced
it with his ultra-skinny rock and roll aesthetic that he had left behind at Saint Laurent and Dior Homme While I won the wager and a can of Coke Light, I felt the fashion world was poorer for it.The collection had a seismic efect on the fashion world, dividing
it irmly into two camps: those who lamented the obliteration of the cerebral designs that deined Phoebe Philo’s tenure at Celine, and those who celebrated the return of King Slimane
Like all good stories, my tale of Hedi Slimane’s debut at Celine
began with late-night drinks with two of my best mates We were
about to call it a night when we realised that the Celine spring/
summer 2019 show was about to start and decided to stay on
to watch it live together I made a friendly wager with one of
them, betting that Slimane would stick to his signature
razor-thin tailoring, biker jackets and short babydoll dresses; my mate
believed Slimane was ready to shock the world, departing from
his skinny silhouette
It was 2 in the morning when the bet was made, and the next
hour leading up to the show was spent vigorously refreshing
Celine’s webpage, waiting for the live stream to load There was
a lot of anticipation in that one hour; every bathroom break was
a risky move—it could mean missing Slimane’s debut at Celine
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Essentials of style
Trang 27Facing page, from left: Dior Homme spring/summer 2007 collection;
Saint Laurent ready-to-wear menswear spring/summer 2014.
Left: Celine spring/summer 2019.
Now I understand the disappointment of Philophiles, not only
were her creations beautiful, exceptionally well-crafted garments
that withstood the changing tides of fashion, they were also
designed to empower women of all age and sizes It made women
feel comfortable and stylish, and that their power was founded in
more than their sexuality Hell, Philo’s clothes even had legions of
male customers buying them
But expecting one designer to follow in the footsteps of another
is simply unreasonable Slimane’s time at Dior Homme, and the
success that he brought to the house of Yves Saint Laurent, are
both legendary As a skinny kid growing up in the 1970s and 1980s,
when the idea of masculinity was the well-chiselled Adonis in
Versace and Armani suits, he found solace in the skinny musicians,
(like the androgynous David Bowie) who introduced a diferent
vocabulary of masculinity; one that he channels into his design
His introduction of skinny tailoring at Dior Homme was a
much-needed breath of fresh air, introducing a whole new genre
of menswear His clothes showed the world that power and
masculinity can go hand-in-hand with androgyny; allowing the
skinny men of the world to feel just as powerful as their athletic
counterparts If you need any more proof of the impact of his
designs, Karl Lagerfeld famously lost weight just to it into one
of his suits
Also, it is also easy to stereotype Slimane as a one-trick pony, with
him continuously revisiting the same archetype, but that’s saying all skinny silhouettes are made the same Take, for example, his range
of ultra-slim denim; items that still can be found at Dior Homme and Saint Laurent, and very likely will be introduced at Celine What separates his jeans and the other skinny jeans on the market, and why it’s still so desirable to those who are able
to squeeze into them, is that it functions more like a corset By reworking the cut and removing all stretch from the denim, it gives the illusion of elongating the legs for that cigarette-thin look.For the Celine spring/summer 2019 collection, while the menswear remains on the slimmer side, closer inspection reveals trousers that are roomier at the hips and outerwear with stronger, padded shoulders Slimane works on the nanoscale, and it requires
a diferent lens to fully understand his work
Where the collection is disappointing to me is the lack of newness when the collection is viewed from a macro perspective Slimane is still exploring the same archetypes as he once did at the previous houses Kris Van Assche amalgamated sportswear into the collection once he took over the reins at Dior Homme, while Anthony Vaccarello added a dose of sensuality and draws inspiration from the house at Saint Laurent Fans of Slimane would still lock to Celine and buy everything that he puts out, but the truth
is that other designers have taken the foundation he left behind and are pushing it even further, while he still stands his ground.Slimane’s greatest strength as a designer will always be that
of a great image-maker; he is able to create look after look that embodies the ethos of what is cool and efortlessly chic It is more likely to be the architects and bankers of the world buying this collection rather than the conceptual clothing from critically acclaimed fashion designers
His game plan is straightforward: design clothes that are wearable and infuse a large dose of coolness and desirability into them That’s the appeal of his work and if the past success is anything
to go on, it works
The problem I have is that it’s a regression back into the times when only one tribe of people are able to feel that way All the money and clout in the world won’t be able to buy you the body
to it into his clothes It alienates a wide spectrum of body types, and it feels like the only way to be cool, or at least be Slimane’s interpretation of it, is to lose a lot of weight Or you could buy
a wallet or a pair of boots from Celine and feel that you belong
to that tribe in some way It’s a brilliant business strategy that worked great at Saint Laurent two years ago, but one that feels out
of touch with the zeitgeist of inclusivity and diversity
Maybe the critics and this writer are a tad harsh After all, following in the footsteps of Philo is a tough act for any designer Maybe Slimane is shaking of the dust and getting into his groove Maybe it’s premature to judge this tenure so early into the game For a designer who is not afraid of making noise—evident by the change to the house’s name; going from Céline to Celine—I just wish the clothes spoke just as loudly as the hype leading up to them For now, I am going to sit back with my can of Coke Light and wait to see what else Slimane has up his sleeve.
Style
Essentials of style
Trang 28Shear comfort
When it comes to accessorising yourself, it’s the small things that lend the greatest impact
With that in mind, the shearling range of bags from Saint Laurent is an easy way to elevate the look
with textures After all, why shouldn’t your bags be as comfortable as your clothes?
Trang 29Shearling belt bag, by Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello.
Trang 30In the Perry Ellis studio where Marc Jacobs became creative director for womenswear at the age of 25 Getty
30
Style
Essentials of style
Trang 31It’s not easy to categorise fashion neatly into boxes, but there’s a
clear consensus regarding the biggest fashion capitals in the world
and the style that’s put forth by their luxury fashion houses Paris
is deined by its couture details and an air of nonchalance, while
Milan is known for its opulence and luxurious use of materials
And London is where new and innovative designs evolve from
British elegance and tailoring
At the other end of the spectrum is American fashion Sporty,
easy and most importantly, wearable, the fashion capital is often
best represented by brands such as Michael Kors, Diane von
Furstenberg and a pre-Raf Simons Calvin Klein Fashion coming
out of America has largely been, for lack of a better word, safe
American sportswear—a term used to describe ready-to-wear
clothes that are usually versatile separates—is the go-to concept
for a semblance of commercial viability in every collection Marc
Jacobs on the other hand, was anything but safe
T H E P R O D I G Y
Like most great artists, Jacobs’ early childhood wasn’t the typical
carefree splendour He was born in 1963 to Steve and Judy Jacobs,
who were both working at the famed William Morris Agency in
New York City When Jacobs was seven years old, his father died
of a longstanding battle with ulcerative colitis—an inlammatory
bowel disease that targets the colon and rectum—leaving him
behind with his mother, brother and sister
According to a book by the New York Post’s Maureen Callahan,
titled Champagne Supernovas, Jacobs’ mother battled with mental
illness, which irst manifested after she gave birth to him Although
Judy’s family had the means and access to the best medical
practitioners, it was a time when mental illness wasn’t as extensively
researched and understood After years of neglect, social services
stepped in and Jacobs was taken in by his paternal grandmother
It was then that his talent for fashion and the arts bloomed Jacobs
constantly referred to his grandmother Helen as his irst fashion
muse She encouraged his potential and would brag to shop
owners on the Upper West Side where they resided that Jacobs
would be the ‘next Calvin Klein’
While studying at Parsons School of Design, Jacobs was
already noted for his talent He was named Design Student of the
Year 1984 and received the Perry Ellis Golden Thimble Award for
his graduate collection, which featured sweaters hand-knitted by
his grandmother
From grunge to nostalgia
Marc Jacobs was once America’s l’enfant terrible—a disruptor who constantly marched
to his own beat—but was also recognised as a fashion genius with a proitable business
Now, he seems to be a shadow of his former self What happened to him?
Jacobs’ star shone even brighter upon graduation He earned the inancial backing of Japanese retail company Onward Kashiyama USA, Inc in 1986 and used it to start his Marc Jacobs label A year later, he was awarded the Perry Ellis Award for New Fashion Talent (now known as the Swarovski Emerging Talent Award) by the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA).The Marc Jacobs-Perry Ellis connection continued in 1988 as
he took on the role of creative director and vice-president of the American brand’s women’s business The relationship lasted until
1993 on the heels of the Perry Ellis spring 1993 collection, also known as the grunge collection—the collection that, if there was anyone at all who didn’t have their eye on Jacobs, certainly made them look The reviews then were scathing, owing to the opinion that grunge was the anti-thesis to fashion, and that pricing such raw and rugged clothes (but made in the inest fabrics typical of Perry Ellis) at prices way above what the movement was all about seemed derivative
In hindsight, that’s exactly what is happening in fashion right now The anti-luxury luxury approach is rife at fashion houses such as Balenciaga, Gucci and Saint Laurent, led by cultural-sensitive creative directors Jacobs’ grunge collection was an early example of referencing street culture and sentiments, but like most early adopters, was met with criticism In 2015, renowned fashion critic Cathy Horyn retracted her harsh critic of that particular collection; an unnatural feat and clear indication of Jacobs’ originality
Four years later, in 1997, Louis Vuitton signed Jacobs on as its irst creative director to spearhead the luxury fashion house’s debut ready-to-wear line for men and women The deal came with LVMH buying a stake in the Marc Jacobs brand, making it part of the luxury conglomerate’s portfolio Within 10 years at Louis Vuitton, Jacobs helped to quadruple the house’s proits by bringing in collaborations with contemporary artists, and turning Louis Vuitton into a fashion force beyond luggage and trunks
A L O N G S TA N D I N G P A R T N E R S H I P
If Yves Saint Laurent’s creativity was matched by Pierre Bergé’s business acumen, such was the case with Jacobs and business partner Robert Dufy; minus the romantic relationship The partnership between the two began in 1983 after Jacobs’ graduation dinner Dufy was an executive for the now-defunct sportswear company Reuben Thomas and was looking for fresh new talent to collaborate with
Style
Essentials of style
Trang 32that it was necessary—to be a luxury brand but be all price points But I knew I could do it and I’m proud we did it.”
D O W N WA R D S P I R A L
After 16 years at the creative helm of Louis Vuitton, Jacobs announced in 2013, after the house’s spring/summer 2014 runway show, that it would be his last The decision was reported to be mutual—Jacobs wanted to focus on his namesake brand and prepare it for an initial public ofering—but after years of double-digit percentage growth, Louis Vuitton’s proits began to slow down It wasn’t that the collections prior had been critically panned, but rather, after 16 years, Louis Vuitton was due for a
Since then, Dufy has been an integral force in furthering the
Marc Jacobs business In 1993, he and Jacobs oicially founded
Marc Jacobs International It was Dufy who negotiated for
LVMH to have a 96 percent investment in Marc Jacobs the brand,
in order to proceed with hiring Jacobs And most importantly,
Dufy conceptualised Marc by Marc Jacobs—the lower-priced and
younger line—which at its highest, accounted for 80 percent of
total revenue for the company
In a 2009 interview with British Vogue on the occasion of
the opening of Marc by Marc Jacobs’ irst London store, Dufy
expressed: “I always wanted the company to be broad and wanted
to reach out to a lot of people It was diicult to convince people
Marc Jacobs in his New York design studio, circa 1989.
Marc Jacobs takes his bow
at the first runway show for
Louis Vuitton.
Marc Jacobs and Robert Dufy celebrate the opening of three new stores in Los Angeles in 2005.
32
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Essentials of style
Trang 33creative change Fashion is driven by newness and there was
nothing new about a 16-year creative directorship
However, the IPO never did come to fruition The Marc
Jacobs business has been in trouble since Stores have shuttered,
including its career-deining presence along New York’s Bleecker
Street At one point, Jacobs had six stores along a four-block
stretch with each store dedicated to a diferent segment of the
business—the women’s main line, the men’s main line, Marc by
Marc Jacobs, Little Marc, Marc Jacobs Beauty and the branded
trinket store Bookmarc Save for the latter, the rest have been
permanently closed since 2017
In an efort to streamline the business, the more afordable
Marc by Marc Jacobs line ceased operations in 2015 The oferings
instead were folded into the main Marc Jacobs line, which
has made the diference in merchandise mix and price points
confusing for customers And just this year, John Targon of Los
Angeles-based fashion brand Baja East was hired to build and
develop the lower-priced portion of Marc Jacobs But Targon left
after only two and a half months at the job
The Marc Jacobs menswear line was the next to go
It was after the closure of Marc by Marc Jacobs that it was
revealed that Dufy had quietly stepped down from his leading
role at Marc Jacobs Dufy remains as the deputy chairman of the
company’s board, but the direction of the brand has most recently
been accorded to Eric Marechalle, the former CEO of Kenzo
M A R C J A C O B S I S S T I L L H E R E
Despite the troubles, Jacobs is still regarded as one of fashion’s
most brilliant designers His seasonal runway shows—although
noticeably downscaled—still impress fashion critics due to its
high level of drama and showmanship And the clothes speak
volumes of Jacobs’ talent
In a review of its autumn/winter 2018 collection, Business of
Fashion’s Tim Blanks called the collection “his most pointed
up-yours yet to all those people who’ve clouded his once glittering
career with commercial nit-picking” Vanessa Friedman of The
New York Times celebrated Jacobs’ deft and unquestionable
talent, but remarked that “it may still not be enough”
It’s common for brands to fall out of style but resurgences are
rare; the latter is more dependent on cultural shifts and design
relevance But for someone who used to be able to craft a collection
that’s deined by the sign of the times, Jacobs has seemed to
relegate his collections to nostalgic references without much
commercial sense The clothes might be beautiful and incredibly
styled, but they don’t necessarily translate well in stores
As puzzling as it may seem, fashion and its unrelenting pace
might have been too much for Jacobs In the business’ full scale
before shuttering lines, Jacobs would have had more than 20
collections to oversee every year, not counting special projects
It could also be that having lost his more business-minded and
disciplined partner, Jacobs needs time to refocus and channel his
energy into iguring out who the Marc Jacobs client is at this time
Or who she (or he) would want to be
And for someone who imagined the original Louis Vuitton
man and woman, and paved the way for Nicolas Ghesquière, Kim
Jones and Virgil Abloh, there is still a part of Jacobs that is capable
of doing just that.
The Marc Jacobs autumn/winter 2018 collection took inspiration from 1980s haute couture and was well-received for its vision, but left critics questioning Jacobs’ ability at keeping a business profitable.
Taking his bow at his most recent runway show for spring/summer 2019, Marc Jacobs started (unusually) an hour and a half late, fuelling rumours that
he was rebelling for not being the closing show for New York Fashion Week
Style
Essentials of style
Trang 342019:
a space
The core of Louis Vuitton has always been the spirit
of travel, and for its men’s spring/
summer 2019 pre-collection, it looked towards the final frontier for inspiration We can’t say for sure what we would find
in outer space, but here are some of our favourite bags from the collection that are coming along for the ride.
Photographs by Dju-Lian Chng Styling by Eugene Lim
Monogram Galaxy Canvas Backpack.
Special Project
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Trang 35odyssey
Special Project
Trang 3636
Special Project
Trang 38Taurillon Leather Backpack.
Facing page: Monogram Satellite Canvas Keepall Bag.
38
Special Project
Trang 40Clad in fine raiment and richly adorned
Wayne Cheong takes on Kiton’s made-to-measure service.
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Style
Essentials of style