People, the emperor may have a new place to design his clothing. On Thursday morning, Simon Porte Jacquemus teased his whereabouts, showing himself walking into an elevator on his Instagram Stories. He hashtagged it #NewJob. Thus kicking off an endless stream of speculation. Is the man who brought some of the most buzzed about fashion shows and trends to life in the last decade leaving his namesake brand? And if so, who will make dresses of straw hats that are somehow both chic and irresistible? If you doubt the power of this man’s vision, may we remind you, he is the one you should thank for not being able to find a regular, schmegular, on-the-shoulder, non-ruffled top with normal sleeve lengths in stores in the past year.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
After his mind-boggling show in Paris, back in 2015, he was heralded as “important for French fashion," held "in [as high regard as] Brits like Simone Rocha and early J.W. Anderson.” Refinery29’s fashion director at the time, explained his je nais se quoi, saying “his collections may be less developed design-wise, but he understands the concept just as strongly as the best of them. He will always explain his work as story first and clothing second.”
So, with that in mind, wouldn't he be great at Céline, now without a creative director after Phoebe Philo’s recently announced departure? Although they both lean towards a certain type of minimalism, it's true that Jacquemus' love of conceptual clothes would be a radical change of direction at the house. And we know the man loves to put on a show. Or maybe he’s in the lift, heading up to his new office at Burberry, where he will feel the void once Christopher Bailey leaves after his last show in February? That sure would make for another bold transition. Either way, we are keeping our eyes on Jacquemus.
We’ve reached out to Céline for comment and will update this post if/when we hear back.