It’s been 15 years since Simon Porte Jacquemus started his namesake fashion brand, a playful label known for its summery insouciance, tiny handbags, and cinematic, outdoor runway shows staged far from the fashion capitals. But the milestones keep coming. In September, the French designer will receive the Couture Council Award for Artistry of Fashion during the Museum of FIT’s annual fundraising luncheon, ahead of New York Fashion Week. (Chief curator Valerie Steele described the designer as “a rising star in the French fashion system.”) And about a month later, Jacquemus will open his first U.S. store in New York City on Lafayette and Spring.
“It’s very new for us to receive awards,” Jacquemus said, calling from somewhere along the southern coast of France, near where he grew up outside Marseille. “It’s good because it’s a moment, as well, to think and to be happy where you are. Because this job is always — every six months you have to present a new idea, a new vision, a new collection. So sometimes it’s a run that never stops.”
In September, you’re being honored with the award for artistry of fashion by the Couture Council of the Museum at FIT. Past honorees include Valentino, Karl Lagerfeld, and Oscar de la Renta. Where were you when you found out about this news, and what did you feel?
Well, just to be honest, I double-checked if it was what I thought it was. And yes, it was that. So I was feeling like, Oh, wow, it’s so special. You just named a few of the greatest designers. I felt so — not lucky, but very touched to have the recognition. So I just double-checked on Google if it was what I thought it was.
Where do you get your best cultural recommendations from? Friends, Instagram?
On my private Instagram, I only follow galleries and cultural things. I don’t even follow personalities, so it’s just like museums and galleries. This is the only thing I love to see and to look at. The best thing is — you have to lose yourself in looking for something specific. Then lose yourself into a detail — into an artist, then [from] an artist, you look at an exhibition. Most of my references come from the arts, or the decorative-object art world, and photography, as well, and film. But most of it is art.
Do you have a favorite piece of art that you own?
I collect a lot of modern art, that’s for sure. I’m less of an art contemporain collector, but I will say that I can be obsessed by a 19th-century Provencal chair to, I don’t know, a new artist. From 19th-century Provencal to Louis Fratino from New York. It’s quite wide.
What’s the last great film that you saw?
The other day, I decided to look at the Audrey Hepburn fashion one because I need to rewatch it. Let me check the title in English. [Funny Face.] It’s a ton of good looks and stuff. I’ve seen so many references. She’s so beautiful. I’m kind of obsessed with her.
Is there a classic film that you like to rewatch for comfort?
It’s Titanic. I’m so sorry, but this is two times a year, crying. I’m really obsessed with it. I saw in France, it’s on Netflix so people will watch it again and again. But I just love it. The end is so wrong. It’s so good in a way.
Do you have a favorite French film or favorite French director?
Godard, I will say, because of Le Mépris [Contempt] that inspired the brand, and that’s why we decided to pick the same location as the movie for the 15th-anniversary show. [At Casa Malaparte in Capri.] It was a sort of homage to this movie. I will mention as well My Uncle from Jacques Tati. It’s a beautiful movie, between the modern world and the Old World and there is something so poetic about it. And even when I’m designing campaigns and content for Jacquemus, I always have this guy in mind. Because he had such a pointed vision. He has such a tone of humor that is so particular.
What’s the one desk-vacation destination you would recommend to someone who needs to get out of a creative funk?
Right now, I’m speaking to you in front of the sea, so I would say the Mediterranean Sea. It’s the best, to be honest. When I come back here, I’m like, Wow, it’s really a paradise. So you can have a great escape as a vacation. You can feel you are in Greece, but at the same time, you have so much to see, from the Fondation Maeght to the Picasso Museum to the Mucem in Marseille. The photography festival in Arles. There is so much to mention, all along, from Marseille to Monaco or from Marseille to Nice. There is so much to see. You can be by yourself on a rock, but at the same time, you can also visit a super-nice foundation or something. I mean, this is my favorite thing to do, the full lifestyle: art, good food, just a simple swim.
What’s one place you have not yet visited that’s at the top of your wish list?
And I don’t want to do a show there? [laughs] I would love to visit Seoul, because I haven’t been, that super excites me. And many more in South America, I haven’t been.
If you were having a dinner party and you could invite five people, alive or dead, who would you invite? I would invite all my favorite artists. I think I would invite Giacometti, Henri Matisse, [Pierre] Bonnard, Picasso. Maybe a weird one, but I would love to meet Édith Piaf. I think she’s such a strong character from the street, and I would love a conversation. She’s someone. So voilà.
What food would you serve? What would be your ideal meal?
Pasta. Pasta with tomato. I read that Picasso loved pasta and chicken, so I was feeling quite okay with the food I’m eating.
What are your best tips for a beach day?
Do not drink alcohol.
What music have you been listening to this summer?
If I’m honest, I’ve been listening to live music of Miley Cyrus, when she did the cover of “Heart of Glass.” I’ve been listening to this every morning. As well as Phil Collins’s “In the Air Tonight” while driving.
What’s your favorite song to dance to right now?
I will say Italian music like Raffaella Carrà, [singing] — Pedro, Pedro, Pedro, Pedro, Pe! — this kind of music, Italo disco music.
What’s your favorite preshow ritual?
I gave my kids a bib [bottle of milk]. It’s literally what I’ve done, like one hour before going to the show, so I was really calm.
What’s your favorite place to shop for them? For your kids?
I’ve bought so many clothes. Actually, in a vintage store in Nevada, I found so many good things, like American sportswear from the ’70s, ’80s. Well, it’s too big now, but in two years, they’re gonna look very cool. It’s not easy, because even for little girls, it’s sometimes, I don’t know, it’s all too pretty.
What are your favorite television series?
I’m a White Lotus person. I love all the shows, as well, that cover fashion. They’re kind of fun. They’re so drama, so even the Lagerfeld one, and you discover Lagerfeld when he was younger. And Saint Laurent — I think it’s kind of fun. And the Balenciaga was good. I haven’t seen the Dior. I kind of like it because it’s very educational.
What about French shows?
What I’m going to mention is called Koh-Lanta. It’s a Survivor TV show, so like two teams, they have to survive, they have a battle. It’s very, very iconic in France since 20 years ago. It’s the best when you live in Paris and it’s raining and you don’t go out. Sometimes we laugh about ourselves in our lunch break because we are like, Who watched yesterday? Sometimes we are not the coolest, you know what I mean?
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.