From Grunge to Glory
As the youngest designer to win the Perry Ellis CFDA award for New Talent, Marc Jacobs was a conversation starter from the start. Hired by Perry Ellis in 1988 as the designer for women’s wear, Jacobs was fired in 1993 following a very controversial Grunge Collection for the brand.
Pulling from youth culture, the collection caused quite the stir. Fashion houses reacted in abject horror. Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain, the unofficial muses of the collection, did, too, burning the samples they were sent. It was a commercial failure yet a cultural success. So much so that Louis Vuitton noticed and appointed a young Marc Jacobs as its creative director in 1997. And so began the transformative tenure that would change the face of luxury fashion forever.
Old Baggage. New Ways.
Before Marc Jacobs took the reins at Louis, the brand was but a leather goods and luggage maker, albeit a very famous and luxurious one. Marc was tasked with creating the brand’s first ready-to-wear line. He was given full creative control with one corporate caveat: do not touch the Monogram. So he touched the Monogram.
Rather than treat the Monogram like a museum piece, he treated it like a playground (and oh, did he play). His solo design work expanded Louis’ accessories line, with the Monogram as its muse. The first diva to hit the stage was the Monogram Vernis in 1998, a glossy, shiny patent leather adaptation.
Shop NowBy 2000, the Monogram went vinyl for the Ambre Cabas beach totes.
Shop NowA few years later, he made the Monogram as popular as blue jeans with his infamous Monogram Denim line that’s still highly sought after to this day.
Shop NowAnd who can forget the Monogram Miroir in metallic gold and silver, the 2006 It Bags popularized by It Girls Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian.
Shop NowFollowing this was the limited-edition Monogram Kalahari in 2008, a bag that was as haute as the African desert that inspired it.
Shop NowEven rarer is the Monogram Underground capsule collection born out of nomadic rave culture. These bags were cyber-bohemian beauties that appealed to Burners and luxury lovers alike.
Shop NowWhile he birthed other icons like the Suhali and Alma Long, his most coveted contributions came from the high-art, high-fashion collaborations he fathered. Not only did these partnerships take the Monogram metamorphosis to a new level, but they also elevated luxury as a whole, rewriting fashion history.
Creating the Modern Fashion Collab
Prior to Jacobs' arrival, Louis Vuitton did not belong to the world of high-fashion trends. This all changed in 2001 when he partnered with punk artist Stephen Sprouse for the first-ever Louis Vuitton collaboration.
LV x Stephen Sprouse
Sprouse scrawled fluorescent graffiti over the classic Monogram canvas. It was as shocking as it was sensational, and it was only the beginning.
Shop NowLV x Julie Verhoeven
In 2002, he made magic with artist Julie Verhoeven. Together, they created the fairytale collaboration Conte de Fees.
Shop NowLV x Takashi Murakami
A year later, a new world of whimsy was introduced, and it’s one that never left, one that has fashionphiles in a colorful chokehold to this day: Louis Vuitton x Murakami. The collaboration unleashed madness and a new Multicolor Monogram. The Cherry Blossom collection made an appearance shortly after the 33-color rainbow hue, followed by the Cerises line in 2005. It was so successful that it sparked an archival revival in 2025. (Haute Tip: You can shop the vintage and reissued Murakami pieces at FASHIONPHILE).
LV x Richard Prince
Jacobs injected fun and humor into the House in 2007 through his collaboration with artist Richard Prince. Supermodels dressed as pulp-fiction nurses and carried Aquarelle Monogram handbags covered in satirical jokes down the runway.
LV x Yayoi Kusama
His final artful collaboration for Louis Vuitton came in 2012 with the “Princess of Polka Dots,” Yayoi Kusama. Her Infinity Dots and Pumpkin motifs danced on silhouettes like the Pochette Accessoires and the Neverfull, imprinting themselves on the fashion psyche forever.
Shop NowPopping into Pop Culture
Art was not the only arena for Jacobs’ experimentation. He created the SC Bag line in partnership with filmmaker Sofia Coppola, ultra-hyped luxury shoes with Kanye West, and, of course, the blinged-out Millionaire sunglasses with Pharrell Williams, which laid the groundwork for Pharrell to return decades later as Men's Creative Director and release his $1,000,000 Millionaire Speedy.
His Lasting Legacy in Luxury
Marc Jacobs took his final bow at Louis Vuitton in 2013 to focus on his eponymous brand, but his impact never left. His rebellion became the standard, and his designs became some of the most coveted (and counterfeited) in the world.
Want a piece of fashion history? Shop Marc Jacobs’ era Louis Vuitton at FASHIONPHILE now.
