SOUTHERN COMFORT: After bucking expectations with a show at the Palace of Versailles, Simon Porte Jacquemus is getting ready to pack his bags for another trip to more familiar territory: the South of France.
The designer will stage his next show on Jan. 29 at the Fondation Maeght in the village of Saint-Paul-de-Vence, the brand said on Monday.
Established by Marguerite and Aimé Maeght in 1964, the private foundation — designed by Catalan architect Josep Lluís Sert — houses works of art by the likes of Georges Braque, Marc Chagall, Wassily Kandinsky, Alberto Giacometti and Joan Miró.
“The collection is named ‘Les Sculptures’ in homage to Giacometti’s work,” Jacquemus said in a statement shared exclusively with WWD. The Fondation Maeght previously hosted Louis Vuitton’s cruise 2019 show.
In keeping with its recent tradition of showing outside the official calendar, Jacquemus is staging its display after the end of the Paris men’s shows, which run from Jan. 16 to 21, and Paris Couture Week, scheduled for Jan. 22 to 25.
Jacquemus has amplified its reach on social media thanks to cinematic runway displays in spectacular locations including a lavender field and a salt mine, often in the South of France. This will mark the designer’s first winter show in his native Provence.
The show on the Grand Canal at Versailles in June was part of a brand elevation strategy that includes plans for an international retail rollout, but Jacquemus remains closely associated with a Mediterranean aesthetic and accessible products such as 100-euro bucket hats and 670-euro Chiquito handbags.
In addition to opening a flagship on Avenue Montaigne and summer pop-ups in Portofino and Como, Italy, and Saint-Tropez, the company is scouting for permanent locations in the U.S. and the Middle East, with plans to open several stores overseas by 2026, its chief executive officer Bastien Daguzan told WWD in June.
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