Inside designer Simon Porte Jacquemus’ meteoric rise to stardom: his Chiquito micro-bag is loved by Rihanna and Kim Kardashian, his Nike collaboration was a hit and even Victoria Beckham is a fan

Dec 16 , 2022

32-year-old French designer Simon Porte Jacquemus’ colourful Chiquito micro-bag has a whole host of celebrity fans. Photo: Jacquemus

The French native’s brand Jacquemus grew tenfold in just three years, and he’s turned down offers from big fashion houses to open his own boutique in Paris instead

The 32-year-old talent is also savvy on his socials, with five million followers on Instagram where he shares his beautiful life with husband Marco Maestri

His Chiquito micro-bag is on the arms of the biggest celebrities, and he operates on his own timetable – yep, Simon Porte Jacquemus has forged a singular and hugely successful path in the fashion game at the age of just 32.

The French designer held his latest show just outside Paris in mid December – again choosing to ignore the usual calendar of fashion events.

TV personality Christine Quinn arrives for the Jacquemus fashion show in the Paris suburb of Le Bourget on December 12, 2022. Photo: AFP

He last showed at Paris Fashion Week in 2020, often preferring to present his clothes at other locations, including the sand dunes at Camargue in the south of France this summer, which drew admiring guests like Victoria Beckham.

“I dream of one day reaching Jacquemus’ level of creativity and organising similar shows,” Beckham told Le Monde.

Simon Porte Jacquemus and Victoria Beckham. Photo: @victoriabeckham/Instagram

The strategy is working.

“Jacquemus is a phenomenon. His recent collaboration with Nike was one of the biggest successes of the year, as was the opening of his boutique. The rhythm of his collections mirrors his direct relationship with consumers,” said Serge Carreira, luxury specialist at Sciences Po Paris.

His recent collaboration with Nike was one of the biggest successes of the year. Photo: @jacquemus/Instagram

The brand has grown 10-fold since before the pandemic, now worth some US$212 million, according to figures seen by specialist news site Business of Fashion, with a goal of hitting US$531 million by 2025.