The Museum FIT's Couture Council to honor designer Simon Porte Jacquemus

Founder and designer Simon Porte Jacquemus has been named this year's recipient of the 2024 Couture Council Award for Artistry of Fashion from the Couture Council of The Museum at FIT (MFIT). 

Jacquemus will be honored at the annual luncheon on September 4 at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center in New York City, an event that signals the start of New York Fashion Week. All proceeds from the luncheon go to the MFIT to continue its endeavors as the only museum in New York dedicated to the art of fashion. 

"I am really happy to receive the 2024 Couture Council Award for Artistry of Fashion supported by Nordstrom, it's a beautiful recognition for the brand and my team," said Jacquemus in a statement. "As an independent designer, I was always keen on being innovative and creative in the design of my collections and also in my communication. It's always about communicating and creating experiences with our community in a unique way. I warmly thank the Couture Council of The Museum at FIT and Nordstrom for this great support and this award."

Simon Porte Jacquemus to receive the 2024 Couture Council Award for Artistry of Fashion from MFIT

Simon Porte Jacquemus, born in the South of France and currently based in Paris, founded his namesake brand in 2009 without formal training, dedicating it to his late mother. His passion for fine and decorative arts is said to fuel his creativity, influencing Jacquemus men's and women's ready-to-wear and accessories collections, which draw on French culture and universal expressions of beauty, such as fine art photography, painting, and sculpture. 

Showcasing romantic themes of youth, love, and human nature, Jacquemus is renowned for his provocative fashion shows and theatrical runway productions in unconventional settings. Beyond his role as a fashion designer, his influence as a creative director and image-maker permeates the Jacquemus brand. Jacquemus has received several accolades over the past decade, including being a 2014 LVMH Prize finalist and the 2015 LVMH Special Jury Prize winner.

"A bold creative force in the industry who started his brand at the age of 20, Simone Porte Jacquemus is also a role model for our students who look up to him as both an entrepreneur and a designer," said Dr. Joyce F. Brown, FIT president, in a statement. "Following the Couture Council luncheon, we look forward to welcoming him to the FIT campus, where he can discuss his extraordinary career with our students."

The nomination comes as the founder of Jacquemus was honored by Anna Wintour, editorial director of Condé Nast, during Paris Fashion Week earlier this year and awarded the French insignia, 'Chevalier De L'Ordre Des Arts Et Des Lettres'. The youngest fashion designer to ever receive this cultural award, the medal recognizes "individuals who have distinguished themselves through their creative work in the artistic or literary field or through the contribution they have made to the influence of the arts and letters in France and around the world."

The designer was also honored by the American luxury department store group Neiman Marcus earlier this year and presented with the Neiman Marcus Award for Innovation in the Field of Fashion for 2024. Recognized for his "ingenuity and vision" and for being a leader with "significant social currency who has defined the cultural agenda and captured the fashion industry with a revolutionary approach," leveraging it to build an independent brand, he was celebrated during an event held during Paris Fashion Week. 

"The Museum at FIT is delighted to honor Simon Porte Jacquemus, the visionary young designer whose fashions are as sunny and beautiful as his native region in the South of France," said Dr. Valerie Steele, director and chief curator of The Museum at FIT, in a statement. "His love of art and natural beauty come through in all his work."

Previous recipients of the Couture Council Award for Artistry of Fashion include Gabriela Hearst in 2023, Maria Grazia Chiuri of Dior in 2022, Wes Gordon of Carolina Herrera in 2021, Christian Louboutin in 2019, and Narciso Rodriguez in 2018. Couture Council board members Deena Aljuhani Abdulaziz, founding editor-in-chief of Vogue Arabia and founder of D'NA, and Sarah Wetenhall, president and owner of The Colony Palm Beach, will serve as co-chairs during the event, which for the fifth consecutive year, will see Nordstrom as the presenting sponsor.