Mon Métier d’Excellence ?
I’m Vice President Development and Production Ready-to-Wear at Marc Jacobs. I receive drawings from the designers and my job is to get the pieces produced at the best factory for the job with optimal costs, margins and quality. My team and I also help choose the materials, working closely with the design department.
The most important things you need for this métier
You of course need good decision-making skills in this job. I’m always caught between the diverging needs of the design team and my CEO, between artistic and economic considerations. That’s why you need to be pragmatic and know how to quickly find the solutions, because fashion moves so incredibly fast. I’d also say that the knowledge I have of both design and production techniques is essential. This combination lets me understand what the design team wants, and then make it happen with the best possible production solution.
What I love most about my métier
Being in the factories, establishing strong relationships with the people I’ve chosen to work with us because they are passionate about the products. I like this human dimension. I’m also very proud to work for Marc Jacobs, who is an amazing talent and very open-minded.
An anecdote
Marc Jacobs called me one day to ask me to work with him on the knitwear. Since he’s a real connoisseur of knitwear, it was wonderful to be challenged by him and get the pieces shown ready in record time. We did some amazing things because we were totally in phase. I was really proud of these creations, to see them on the catwalk during the show, and to have Marc recognize the contribution my team and I made.