Mark Jacobs, one of the most famous American designers who succeeded to mix the French spirit of houte couture with the offbeat style of New York streets, celebrated his birthday on April 9th.

Mark Jacobs was born in New York in 1960 and lived there with his grandmother, who first opened the fashion world for the boy buying European fashion magazines Marc used to draw his first models from. Later, she taught him how to knit, so during his last year in Parsons School of Design Marc presented his first collection featuring handmade sweaters. He started his design career with the bang as this collection actually brought him the Perry Ellis Golden Thimble award.

After graduation Marc has founded his own label and created his famous collections of hippie style clothes.

In 1988, the young designer decided to join Perry Ellis where Marc became known for his perfect feeling of color and use of spare silhouettes. He introduced his bright fantasy to American fashion – ants on red and white tablecloth ensemble, Freud's face on bed linen...

The next collection that made him famous, and also motivated to create collections under his own label again, took place in 1993. Its "grunge" style was inspired by Nirvana music and brought to the surface the idea of imperfection when ill-fitted tuxedo with satin sneakers are turned into luxurious clothes.

In 1997, Mark Jacobs was chosen to design clothing, accessories, and shoes at Louis Vuitton, the French leather-goods maker. The house belongs to LVMH of Arnault Bernard, who also owns Givenchy and Dior.

In 2000-2002 Jacobs was one of those 24 designers whose bronze plaques were placed along the pavement in New York "Fashion walk of fame."

In May 2004 the designer signed a contract with LVMH having connected his future with the house for the next ten years.

Now Jacobs became the Artistic Director for Louis Vuitton and moved to Paris, the city he fell in love with from his first visit: "I first visited Paris when I was 17 and I cried when I left, because I thought I was born in the wrong place, to the wrong parents, in the wrong country. I had so fallen in love with Paris..." Yet, the designer still likes to work in New York as he believes that Paris "lacks lacks New York's energy, it has no youth culture."