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Carrie Chan

An insider's guide to your favourite fashion brands

How it began:

Born in New York City on April 9, 1963, Marc Jacobs  learned to embroider jeans from his sister and to knit from his grandmother. At 15, he worked at  Charivari in New York, where he met designer Perry Ellis.  After graduating from the High School for Art and Design  in 1981, he took Ellis' advice and enrolled at the Parsons School of Art and Design.

In New York, the student was the recipient in 1984 of the Perry Ellis Gold Thimble Award,  the Chester Weinberg Gold Thimble Award,  and the Design Student  of the Year Award. At Parsons, he also designed and sold his first collection of hand-knit sweaters made  for  Charivari.

Businessman Robert Duffy hired him  to develop a ready-to-wear label under the Sketchbook label. The pair's  mission was to create high fashion for young, cool people.

In 1986, backed by Kashiyama USA,   he designed his first collection under  the Marc Jacobs label.   In 1987, he  became the youngest designer  to receive  the  industry's highest tribute: the Council of Fashion Designers of America  (CFDA) Perry Ellis Award for New Fashion Talent.

In 1989 Jacobs and Duffy joined the Perry Ellis label.  In 1992, Jacobs showed  his landmark 'grunge' collection which  included flannel skirts, slouchy sweaters, Dr  Martin boots  and  crocheted skullcaps. It was lauded by the press, including Vogue editor Anna Wintour.  Later  that year, the CFDA honoured Jacobs with   the Women's Designer of the Year Award.   But the powers-that-be at Perry Ellis (Ellis had since died) were not happy with  Jacobs' new style, so he  and Duffy were fired.

Jacobs  worked on  his own label in 1994, favouring  fabrics such as angora, cashmere and mohair, and occasionally  adding  neon rubber separates and laminated sequinned jeans.  He launched a  men's ready-to-wear collection in 1995.

It was a big year for the company in 1997. In January Jacobs (as artistic director) and Duffy (studio director) joined Louis Vuitton.  They  created the first ready-to-wear collection for the French label.  That year, the first Marc Jacobs store opened at 163 Mercer Street in New York's Soho district and  for a third time, he won  the CFDA Women's Designer of Year.

Jacobs'   inspiration comes from fashion history and he adds a vintage touch.  There is also an easy-to-wear casualness  to his designs  and he is known for using sharp, contrasting colours. For instance, for  autumn 2003, he  paid  homage to pop and space-age elements,  while the  2004 collection included  secretarial styles,  with bow blouses and  high-waisted elegant pencil skirts.

A more affordable  line called Marc by Marc Jacobs  was introduced in 2001 and featured  layering. It included sporty clothes with leotards and parachute jackets, arm and leg warmers  and stirrup pants. He used  terry cotton, sateen, voile and twill in  pastel colours with shots of black and navy. In 2002, he launched perfumes, sunglasses and a lifestyle collection. Watches followed last year.  Since 1998  Jacobs has collaborated  with photographer Juergen Teller  on his unusual advertising campaigns featuring  celebrities, including long-time muse Sofia Coppola.

He  lives in Paris where he designs for Louis Vuitton  and his own label shows twice yearly at New York Fashion Week.

The look?

This autumn, he returned to his grunge roots with  dishevelled girls  wearing muted, brownish layers of plaid flannel, chunky knits, puffy  trousers, metallic sequin dresses and leg warmers.  His menswear  line is  a mix of his signature military, retro and grunge styles. Colours are mainly black, with  tones of blue and grey.  Looks include a flannel pyjama skirt  paired with a suit in deep brown, while an officer's coat is layered on top of a herringbone waistcoat and blue  trousers.

Defining fashion moment:

Dubbed  the 'Guru of Grunge'   by Women's Wear Daily,  Jacobs created a phenomenon in the 1990s when he sent models down the catwalk in the Seattle-inspired, grunge look that put him on the fashion map.

Fun fact:

Actress Winona Ryder  was arrested in  2001  for shoplifting merchandise, including Marc Jacobs clothing, from department store Saks Fifth Avenue.  The designer then dressed the actress for her courtroom appearances and asked her to  star in his ads.

Who swears by it?

Sofia Coppola, Kirsten Dunst,  Christy Turlington,  Lindsay Lohan  and Mary Kate Olsen.

What else?

Handbags, accessories, children's wear Little Marc,  fragrances and a basic wear line called Stinky Rat.

Where?

Marc Jacobs is at the Landmark, tel: 2868 9782. Marc by Marc Jacobs is at Pacific Place, tel: 2918 0812.



Marc Jacobs