Marc Jacobs drops 2022 digital collection
In a welcome turn of events, Marc Jacobs returns to close NYFW with a surprise virtual collection.
Marc Jacobs usually closes out New York Fashion Week with a huge production riddled with theatricality and joie de vivre.
However, the last few pandemic-laden years have changed the designer's mechanism in showing his work. Normal years saw Jacobs take over the Lexington Armory each season, however his last on calendar show was Fall/Winter 2020. Now, just as New York Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2022 is coming to a close, Jacobs has altered the manner in which he conducts business.
Jacobs' most recent in-person show was hosted last summer at the New York Public Library where he exhibited his Fall/Winter 2021 collection. He paused his focus on ready-to-wear in favour of more lucrative ventures, i.e. his beauty line and lower-priced streetwear line, Heaven. Jacobs' lack of presence on the show calendar, along with elements of ambiguity surrounding whether or not he would release a collection, brought up questions on the future of his line and the landscape of NYFW in general.
To everyone's surprise, Jacobs very quietly released his 2022 collection—an assumed combination of what would have been his Spring/Summer 2022 and Fall/Winter 2022 collections. No show notes, no explanation of his intentions, no allusions to the forces behind the collection. Just a link to high-res images and a list of model names.
The collection appears to follow a thread of reconstruction and simplicity; the presence of sweeping silhouettes and gothic motifs set to the bare—nearly sterile—backdrop creates a dramatic and elegant effect, one that is signature to Jacobs.
Although NYFW will never be quite the same without his traditional show, this new silent and impressive showing, nonetheless, deeply invigorated this season.
