Jeremy Scott
Jeremy Scott was born on August 8, 1975 and lived part time on a farm in Lowry City, Missouri and a suburb outside Kansas City. He moved to New York City in 1992 to attend the fashion design program at Pratt Institute. While in college, he interned in the New York offices of Aeffe, Moschino’s parent company. During this period he cultivated an extreme look for himself and outfitted New York club kids in avant garde, subcultural styles. After graduation in 1996, Scott flew to Paris in hopes of acquiring an entry level position at a design house of one of his fashion idols, such as Jean Paul Gautier. As an American with a more outlandish look than his Parisian counterparts, he struggled to find work. He eventually found employment in nightclubs. In 1997, at only twenty years old, Scott designed and organized his first independent collection and fashion show. Titled “Body Modification,” it was inspired by car crashes. The show caught the attention of the most important French fashion journalist at the time, Marie-Christiane Marek, who aired it on her French national TV show, Paris Modes. The Parisian concept store Colette was an early supporter of his work, beginning with a display of his Blade Runner-inspired follow-up collection “Rampage” and continued to carry his line until 2017, when the store closed. Scott’s all-white collection and fashion show, titled “Rich White Women,” was a critical success. His all gold follow-up fall/winter 1998 collection “Contrepied” was considered one of the first attempts to revive the 1980s styles, and its negative reception nearly ended his career. A 1999 New York Times article summarized the tumultuous beginning of his career with the statement: “In just two years, Scott had been ‘discovered,’ hailed as a genius, dismissed as overrated and labeled a has-been.” However, he was able to win back enough of the fashion press the following season to keep moving forward.
Scott himself has said of his early work “fashion photographers and intellectual people got into it, but for the establishment people it was, like, Does Not Compute.” His clothing was popular with a younger demographic, but not considered serious or commercial enough for industry stakeholders. After reaching a breaking point with the Paris industry’s reception of his playful sensibility, he relocated to Los Angeles in 2001. He began showing his collections at New York Fashion Week and selling at the concept store Opening Ceremony.
Scott was appointed as creative director of Moschino in October 2013 and catapulted the brand back into the fashion zeitgeist with attention-grabbing designs perfectly suited for the new social media age. His collections frequently featured satirical commentary on American consumerism, riffing on candy bar labels, McDonald’s logo, and Barbie dolls. Pop stars such as Madonna, Miley Cyrus, and Katy Perry were loyal fans. After a decade, he quietly stepped down from the brand in March 2023.
Through his eponymous label Scott has collaborated with Adidas, Swatch, and Longchamp in alignment with his belief that fashion should not only be exclusively for the elite. His last eponymous collection was released in 2020, though he has continued to collaborate with Adidas and Ugg under his label.
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