Marc Jacobs, King of Cool

Marc Jacobs' coveted clothes, cutting-edge ads and celeb-packed front rows ensure this style pioneer's hold on the throne while he takes a break in his Soho, New York, Studio.

Marc Jacobs was only sixteen when he started working as a stock boy at the influential Upper West Side boutique Charivari. It was there that he first met Perry Ellis—the designer who, Jacobs says, encouraged him to apply to Parsons the New School for Design and mentored him while he was a student. Eight years later, Jacobs produced his infamous grunge collection for the Perry Ellis label.

It was also at Charivari that Jacobs sold his first pieces, a collection of oversize, hand-knit sweaters that he designed while at Parsons (his grandmother made the original samples), the popularity of which he still refers to as "kind of my first big break."

Today Jacobs is one of the most well-known and closely watched designers in the world, helming his own signature label, a diffusion line, and the French luxury brand Louis Vuitton. But he shies away from offering explicit advice to anyone looking to duplicate his success: "I hate the word advice," he explains. "It's not a mathematical situation. I'm happy to share my experience, but everybody has a different path."

And where do the ideas come from in the first place?
Marc Jacobs: Everywhere. Everywhere and anywhere. They come from other people, they come from me, they come from people I see on the streets. Sometimes they come from a movie I saw the night before, and sometimes it's as simple as wanting a big, soft sweater because I'm cold that day.