What Jacquemus Can Teach Us About Building A Brand In 2024
They say ‘content is king’ but in 2024, creativity is queen. And if there’s anyone nailing the art of creative branding at the moment, its Jacquemus. Founded by Simon Porte Jacquemus in 2009, the fashion house has the top three things you need to be at the forefront in this social media-driven era: originality, bravery and above all, creativity.
I’m not saying that Jacquemus is the most innovative or disruptive brand in the market, but a skill it is achieving is the delivery of effortless-looking, well-executed concepts in that ‘don’t-you-wish-you-thought-of-it-first’ way. From kicking off the CGI trend with bag-trams running through the streets of Paris to out-of-the-box content ideas garnering hundreds of thousands of shares; the brand with ‘no marketing team’ sure knows how to market itself.
Ahead of its launch in the UAE under Chaloub Group, we dive into what makes the brand one-to-watch for 2024.
Experiential shopping
Gone are the days of strolling through the mall just 'because'. We’re busy, if we want to shop, we’ll do it online. Brands need a way to bring us in-store in order to demonstrate quality, increase upsells, build rapport and so on. The way to do it? Take the experience beyond transaction and into the realm of entertainment: i.e. what else can the customer gain from it? Jacquemus cleverly nails this through their unique pop-up stores. Its 24/24 boutique, inspired by a vending machine, saw a fuchsia concept with pink products behind glass, operated by a touchscreen with a card machine that ran without interruption for three days straight. During the campaign, Jacquemus shared on Instagram that someone had DM’d them to say they felt too intimidated to enter, which sparked a response from the founder to make sure everyone felt welcome, even if only to take a picture.
Creative control
One of the main ways that Jacquemus (the founder) has managed to be so creative with Jacquemus (the brand) is because he is the sole owner. Having never raised funding, Jacquemus answers to no one, which is a beautiful thing when it comes to taking risks, making noise and growing a brand with authenticity. From posting selfies with his partner to product pictures looking less-than-perfect, Jacquemus can do things that brands under LVMH, for example, simply cannot, thanks to a succession line of bill-payers ready to put their foot down the second that things step 'over the line’. And it’s exactly this step that makes the brand feel approachable, relatable and therefore desirable.
Collaboration and endorsement
Aligning yourself with the celebrity of the moment or one of the world's biggest consumer brands is nothing new but it’s important to do it in a way that feels authentic. When the customer can see the strategic steps, the strategy becomes redundant. Simon Porte Jacquemus’ friendships with Dua Lipa, Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner feel so genuine that it's hardly surprising when we see them star in the next season’s campaign. The brand’s collaborative collection with Nike was captioned with comments that make you feel the excitement behind the post, and happy for the designers behind the collaboration.
It's also worth remembering that while it may seem like the brand has become an overnight success, it’s taken the best part of 15 years to reach this point. And while it shows no signs of slowing down, to reach this stage in a company, particularly without outside funding. is a remarkable achievement that shouldn’t be dismissed or overlooked.