On a secluded beach near his beloved Marseille, French designer Simon Porte Jacquemus unveiled his highly anticipated debut menswear collection. Awash with blues, yellows, creams and orange, the Spring/Summer 2019 offering conjures up images of long summery days in the south of France – where Jacquemus spent his childhood.
After launching womenswear in 2009, and quickly winning fans across the world, the time was right to bring the Jacquemus brand to men, delivering an effortlessly cool wool-rich collection for spring/summer and working with a selection of lightweight fabrics and yarns from the world’s leading spinners and mills. The resultant collection, Le Gadjo, comprises 27 pieces in 100% Merino wool including T-shirts, sweaters, jackets, pants and shorts. In the south of France, Gadjo is a slang word used to describe a man, and it also translates to a gypsy-like man who belongs to nowhere.
Jacquemus has previously collaborated with The Woolmark Company for his womenswear range, namely La Bomba for SS18 and Le Souk for AW18/19, and his first menswear collection is a continuation of this partnership. Positioning wool as the fibre of choice for Spring/Summer collections highlights the trans-seasonal properties of the fibre, along with its versatility.
French label Jacquemus debuts his highly anticipated menswear range in the south of France, with support from The Woolmark Company. PHOTOS: Elodie Chapuis.
“It has been our third season working closely with The Woolmark Company,” explains Jacquemus. “Wool is often seen as a winter fabric, but I always like to use it in the summer.
“The Woolmark Company offered great help in finding new fabrics, manufacturers and innovative techniques. All Merino wool pieces produced with The Woolmark Company will carry their label together with mine. Because of this amazing collaboration, my long-time dream to show my first menswear collection in Marseille became a reality.”