MARC JACOBS

Marc Jacobs was born in New York City on April 9, 1963. He was always interested in design, which led him to the High School of Art and Design. After graduating, he entered Parson's School of Design, where he received many prestigious awards including the Design Student of the Year Award in 1984. While at Parsons, he designed his first collection of hand-knit sweaters under the label ÔMarc Jacobs for Marc and Barbara, which was commissioned and sold by Barbara Weiser in her stores, Charivari.

His career began to set off when he was discovered by Robert Duffy, an executive with Ruben Thomas, Inc. during his collection showcase at Parsons. Marc joined a partnership that came to be known as Jacobs Duffy Designs, Inc. The two agreed that it was built upon "a love for fashion and commitment to quality." 

In 1986, Jacobs designed his first collection with the Marc Jacobs label. The following year he was awarded the Council of Fashion Designers of America Perry Ellis Award for New Fashion Talent.

In 1993 the Marc Jacobs International Company was launched by Jacobs Duffy designs. He continued to make a name for himself, with the release of his first men's ready-to-wear collection in 1995. 

In 1997, Jacobs and Duffy joined Louis Vuitton. Jacobs was the artistic director and Duffy the studio director. Jacobs specialized in the designs of the handbags, men's and women's ready-to-wear and 

shoes.

He went on to open his first store at 163 Mercer Street in New York's Soho district. After his first handbag collection was released in 2000, a second store opened in San Francisco's Maiden Lane. That same year, the first men's collection store opened on Bleecker Street in New York City.

A big moment in the career of Jacobs and Duffy came in 2001 when they launched a secondary line known as Marc by Marc Jacobs, with a Spring/Summer 2001 Runway show. It has grown to include shoes, handbags and other accessories. The line has become extremely popular because it allows more people to achieve high fashion on a smaller budget.

 Also in 2001, the company launched its first fragrance, called Marc Jacobs perfume, which was inspired by gardenias in water. The company continued to release perfumes; the two most popular were 2007's Daisy and 2009's Lola. 

Jacobs' company expanded to Europe, owning a men's showroom in Milan. The company opened a collection store in Aoyama, Japan in 2002. Marc Jacobs Collection and Marc by Marc Jacobs stores can be found in seven locations in Hong Kong, four locations in Taiwan, twenty-five locations in Japan and nine locations in Korea.

In 2003, Jacobs was awarded his 6th CFDA Award for Accessories Designer of the Year.

In addition to adult clothing, Marc Jacobs created a children's brand known as Little Marc that captures the elements of fashion that have made his adult collections so successful. 

The company expanded beyond clothing and accessories to their Marc Jacobs Home Collection which includes crystal, sterling silver, cashmere pillows and other luxury accessories. Everything for the collection is sold at exclusive Marc Jacobs boutiques. 

Jacobs is close friends with many celebrities including Rachel Zoe and Victoria Beckham, who praise his work. Beckham has shown her support by modeling for his ads. 

Any great fashion designer in the spotlight knows that Philanthropy is a great way to allocate money to a good cause. He created the Protect the Skin You're In Campaign to raise awareness about deadly skin cancer and benefit melanoma research at the NYU Cancer Institute at NYU Langone Medical Center. The campaign features more than a dozen celebrities baring all to raise money for the cause.

Throughout Marc Jacob's career he has succeeded in changing the way the world thinks about fashion. He is able to impact a wide variety of people due to his many lines that showcase his versatile talent. He will continue to create lines each season that will be wildly popular world-wide. Fashionistas everywhere can't wait to see what he will create next!