What Is ‘Provençal Pop‘? Ask Simon Porte Jacquemus
The first identifying feature of the new Jacquemus boutique, which opened today on a particularly leafy corner of SoHo, in New York, is the line of people waiting to get inside. The second must be, at least this eventful morning, the gleaming silver truck beside it, designed to look like one of the brand’s Rond Carré bags and stocked with croissants and fresh juice. This is where the designer Simon Porte Jacquemus stood, bundled up in a cropped shearling jacket with a nautical-striped hoodie peeking out of the collar, taking in the excited ruckus he’s caused.
This is the first Jacquemus flagship in the U.S. and only its second outside of Paris. (A much smaller boutique and beach club concept is nestled in St. Tropez.) Jacquemus worked with the architecture firm OMA (a long-time collaborator) on the boutique, which sees a 19th-century townhouse and a more modern extension from the early 2000s united by whitewashed walls and flooring in Pierre de Bourgogne French limestone. The focal point is a sweeping staircase with a wrought iron handrail, inspired by the work of architect Jacques Couëlle—a “big, beautiful gesture,” as Jacquemus sees it. The result marries modernity with a more rustic, revel-in-the-imperfections sensibility.
The space is thoughtfully furnished with a mix of custom work and the collectible pieces that Jacquemus loves deeply: powder-coated seats by Jean Royère, his favorite designer; Baker armchairs slip-covered in blue linen; a pair of Usonia chairs by Frank Lloyd Wright, on loan from Christies, standing like sentinels of good taste in the front window. Fitting rooms feature banana yellow curtains while diminutive sheaves of wheat decorate expansive stone tabletops. Jacquemus refers to the look as “Provençal pop.” “We don’t apply a formula," he says, "but the formula is there, you know? Because it all comes from me.”
The art and decorative objects are conveniently identified by placards, like a museum: photography by Wolfgang Tillmans and Peter Schlesinger; an engraving by Pierre Bonnard; a 1920’s bronze statuette by Aristide Maillol. “I find almost everything myself,” says Jacquemus. “It’s my passion." The effect is deeply idiosyncratic, which might help explain the aforementioned crowds outside, huddled together to find out what makes Jacquemus, the man, tick.
“If it’s too branded people will not look,” he insists. “To have a Frank Lloyd Wright bench in the window with just a piece of fabric and a bag on it feels true to us. People need to be curious.”
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