Thursday July 9, 2009

Mixing art and style

By WILLIAM K. C. KEE

Marc Jacobs talks about art, fashion and kilts.

EVEN fashion royalty has to adhere to dress codes, as Marc Jacobs found out in Hong Kong recently.

The world-famous couturier wanted to have dinner at famed retro-chic restaurant China Club but was nearly barred from entering. All because he was garbed in his now-signature kilt.

“They did not want to let me into the restaurant and later in the bar upstairs, they were even more reluctant,” recalled Jacobs, who has been the artistic director for French luxury brand Louis Vuitton since 1997.

Celebrities: Marc Jacobs, in a kilt, and Hong Kong actress Maggie Cheung at the opening ceremony of Louis Vuitton: A Passion for Creation.

But if Jacobs, 46, was upset about the experience, it certainly didn’t show during the meet the media session in Hong Kong last May.

The New York-born designer, who was in Hong Kong to attend the opening of Louis Vuitton: A Passion for Creation art exhibition, granted Asian journalists a brief, informal chat.

His collaborations with artists such as Takashi Murakami, Stephen Sprouse and Richard Prince are on display at the Hong Kong Museum of Art until Aug 9.

The dashing Jacobs, dressed in a crisp white shirt, laced leather boots and the afore-mentioned kilt, was in good spirits and replied every query with much thought. He was awarded this year’s International Award by the Council of Fashion Designers of America in New York last month. Subjects ranged from fashion to art and his love for skirt-pants.

Is there a reason why you are wearing kilts nowadays?

Well, as with everything, there is always a story. This one’s very funny. Last August, I was working in the studio in New York and didn’t have the chance to do any shopping. So, I asked my assistant to get me a funny pair of pants because I was in a bad mood. I thought that would cheer me up.

He came back with a pair of skirt pants from Comme des Garcons and I loved it. I got in touch with the people at Comme des Garcons and bought 12 pairs in different fabrics and colours. Ever since then, I haven’t stopped wearing them!

How do you think luxury fashion has changed over the span of your career?

I don’t really think it has changed. The world has changed and people are more aware of fashion in a way. It has just become so much bigger, thanks to the Internet and all kinds of magazines, be they online or actual publications.

Sleek: Balloon skirt in paisley print worn with leggings, described as a new twinset.

There is now so much more information available and I think that feeds a big interest. Fashion has become more accessible – and I don’t mean in terms of prices – as people are able to see what’s going on more easily now.

You said that good designs make you happy and especially more so when they sell. But now we are in a financial crisis. Does that change the way you work, in terms of inspiration as well as creativity?

No. We – and I say we as in the people I collaborate with – just set out to do what we feel, you know, seems right for the moment. It’s just so instinctive and it’s really just a creative whim. You put out a series of choices and hope that whatever we are feeling creatively is going to affect people in the way they like.

I like seeing what I have created being used in life and I’m not somebody who believes that fashion is for museums. It has always been my goal to not try and figure out what people want but to be true to myself creatively.

If there is one thing you can change about fashion, what would it be?

Nothing. The thing about fashion is, you’re on a schedule where you have to do something new each season. It’s a love-hate relationship, you know. You get attached to something so you don’t want to let go of it but on the other hand, you want to try something new and challenge yourself.

When you run out of ideas, what do you do to get inspiration?

Sometimes you can’t force anything to happen, and it’s quite frustrating because you know that there are schedules and deadlines (to follow). Unfortunately, I can’t be creative on command so sometimes I just have to wait until inspiration strikes. Or, until it comes to somebody else and they share an idea which stimulates ideas.

What is the one thing that excites you, above everything else, at the moment?

Just recently, I put a deposit on an apartment in New York. So I’m very excited about being able to move into that place someday, but I think it will be about two years from now.

I haven’t had an apartment in New York in a long time so I am really looking forward to building a home there. I will be choosing an architect, the furniture and all of that. It will probably be my biggest nightmare as well as my greatest pleasure.

You lost weight and buffed up over the past year. What is your secret?

I go to the gym a lot. I’m starting to eat much better although I have been off my diet while I am here.

With regards to Louis Vuitton: A Passion for Creation, what does art mean for the brand?

Speaking for the company, Louis Vuitton for me represents a certain excellence in terms of creativity and creation. I think that my boss Bernard Arnault (the chairman and CEO of LVMH) is a big believer in breeding and nourishing creativity, whether it is music, art or fashion. The championing of art and artists is very important for a brand like Louis Vuitton. The resulting workmanship and craft, which is beautiful, speaks of the heritage of the company very well.

Being an art collector yourself, who are the artists that have caught your eye in recent years?

I started to buy art about seven years ago. For some reason, I had been intimidated before. I don’t collect aggressively but buy what I can when I can. There are always new artists that I’m interested in. There are a couple in New York like Dan Collin and Nate Yeoman that I’m interested in at the moment. The last thing I bought was a painting by Richard Prince a year ago.

What was it like the first time you broached the idea of collaborating with an outside artist for Louis Vuitton?

The first time was with Stephen Sprouse (for Spring/Summer 2001 whereby they created the iconic Monogram Graffiti collection).

I had gone (to the management of Louis Vuitton) and told them that I wanted to do this project with Stephen (who died in 2004). I think they were receptive but weren’t serious about producing what we had come up with until they saw the feedback.

There was an overwhelming reaction from the press and customers asking for the product they had seen in magazines. And there was a big onslaught of counterfeits before we even went into manufacturing the Graffiti bags. Then they took it a bit more seriously. By the time I collaborated with Takashi Murakami (for Spring/Summer 2003), they were used to it.

When you started working with the different artists, did it help to elevate awareness of their art pieces? Or was it the other way around?

As far as relationships go, when it’s a good working relationship, it’s beneficial for both sides. I was very fortunate that with everyone I worked with, the relationship started in the right way. I very much wanted to work with Stephen Sprouse, Takashi Murakami and Richard Prince and all three of them wanted to work with Louis Vuitton; they were very excited by the projects I proposed.

A certain level of awareness was raised about the artist, and it came to the attention of a broader audience through a fashion point of view. I think it served both sides well and on a deeper, more interesting level, it blurred certain boundaries and distinctions. Many art critics have written about our collaborations – some favourably and some not so, but it’s always good to mix things up.

Are you thinking about doing a collaboration with a new artist and if so, who?

I certainly would love to continue (artistic collaborations). My choices have been pretty instinctive and that’s kind of the way I work. I had an instinct that it would be great to work with Richard Prince, Takashi Murakami and Stephen Sprouse.

Someday, that instinct will lead me towards someone new and hopefully, they would be receptive but right now, I don’t have anyone specific in mind.

When it comes to picking collabollators, are you drawn to artists who make visual statements or are there other types of artists that are equally intriguing to you?

I am a very visual person and in terms of making products, it’s mostly things that are visually stimulating that inspire me to engage someone. So, yes, visual arts are what inspire me the most but having said that, we have collaborated with other artists.

We have worked with Madonna recently (on the Louis Vuitton advertising campaign) and certainly, she is a very visual artist but she is also a musician. We have worked with filmmakers and photographers who are all artists in their own right. So I think any kind of creative give and take is collaboration between two artists.

Can you tell us how being honorary chairman for the Model as Muse exhibition at the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art went?

It was good ... Marc Jacobs, as a company, underwrote that event. We worked with Anna Wintour, Kate Moss, Justin Timberlake and Harold Koda, who is the curator at the Costume Institute in New York. I think people are very interested in the subject of models so I saw the validity in the concept and theme. I felt they did a great job in putting together a very cohesive exhibition, telling the story of models from the 1950s to the present day, and how the shape and perception of models have changed.

Have you ever dreamed of being an artist in your lifetime? Or in your next life?

No. After this life is done, I am finished. You know, for as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to be a fashion designer. I love fashion and it is the medium that I like to express myself in.

I like the ritual of getting dressed, of creating different personalities and characters and of expressing different moods. I really love the craft of making shoes, bags and clothes so I really don’t have this desire to make movies and music or to paint and make sculptures.

What is your most favorite art piece in the world and who is the artist you admire most?

My most favourite piece of art is called L.H.O.O.Q. by Marcel Duchamp (created in 1919). It is a painting of Mona Lisa with a moustache. That particular piece represents a questioning of art and boundaries; it took a lot of stuffiness out of art. It made me feel okay about enjoying and appreciating art.

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