In 2018, music has become tantamount to fashion; designers look to music to draw inspiration and vice versa. Twenty five years ago, Marc Jacobs pulled ideas from grunge music and brought it to the runway for a collection that would change the fashion world forever. Working under Perry Ellis, Jacobs drew inspiration from grunge music and the personal style of his friends as the new wave of '90s fashion reimagined luxury.
On November 3rd, 1992 Jacobs sent Naomi Campbell, Tyra Banks, Christy Turlington and the rest of the iconic '90s supermodel clique down the runway wearing Converse sneakers, Doc Martens, dingy plaid shirts and granny dresses. As the models strutted in layered stripes and cartoon shirts, audiences around the world gasped — Cathy Horyn even described it looking as if Jacobs hadn't designed anything, and rather simply raided thrift stores. This was an early moment of fashion and music fusing together, as high fashion started drawing influence from the sounds of grunge rock and pop-culture movements.
However, the designer's Spring 1993 collection was not received well by the fashion community, as they chastised Jacobs and he was precipitously fired from Perry Ellis. Critics like Horyn and Suzy Menkes (who have since retracted their statements) reviled this counter-culture disruptive approach to fashion, with Menkes even calling the collection "ghastly." As the choir of condemnation sang their indignation, Jacobs felt his concept come to fruition: "The grunge collection epitomized the first time in my professional career I was unwavering in my determination to see my vision come to life on the runway without creative compromise."
Now, Jacobs has decided to reproduce 26 looks from the original Grunge collection to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the perverse and ironic convolution that broke the runway. These 26 looks in the 'Redux Collection' have been replicated in every detail, from fabric to cuts — even the shoes, jewelry and accessories echo the original twisted approach to high fashion found in the 1993 collection.
Slick Woods, Gigi Hadid, Binx Walton, Dree Hemingway are a few of the modern models to embrace the reconstruction of Jacobs' subversive '93 collection in this digital lookbook, shot by the legendary Juergen Teller.
Jacob's scrapping of the hard-edged glamour from the 1980s helped formulate the downtown streetwear culture we see on Soho sidewalks today. As other designers like Dior, Versace and Gucci resurrect prints and styles from the past, Jacobs employs his reinterpretation of this collection as a reminder of his pioneering approach to alternative luxury and beauty.
The collection is available now, both online and in stores. Don't forget to check out the pop-up on Madison Avenue that features the new Redux collection. In the meantime, check out the original runway show here.
Listen to the original tracklist from the 1993 show as you view the lookbook for maximum stimulation that Jacobs found in the visual noise and style that helped spark this counter-culture collection:
