NEW YORK — Marc Jacobs, a longtime fan of Maripol, the iconic stylist and designer often credited for Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” look, has tapped her as his latest collaborator.
They have joined forces on a line called Marc Jacobs + Maripol, which arrived at the Marc by Marc Jacobs boutique on Bleecker Street here on Wednesday. It includes 13 jewelry pieces priced from $4 to $25, including rubber bracelets and chunky chain necklaces, and five T-shirt designs at $35.
“Marc and I have known Maripol forever,” said Robert Duffy, president of Marc Jacobs International, recalling how, in 1985, she designed jewelry for one of Jacobs’ shows.
For her part, Maripol, who also worked with Grace Jones and Debbie Harry and for Fiorucci, immediately noticed Jacobs when she first saw him in a club in New York in the early Eighties, and she has admired him since.
“I like the fact that he dares to be different,” she said. “He always changes and lives his dream of design.”
The idea for the collaboration came to her after Jacobs’ recent Stephen Sprouse collection for Louis Vuitton. “Everybody is always saying the Eighties are back, the Eighties are back, but I think the Eighties never left,” Maripol said.
Maripol drew a crowd when she stopped by the Bleecker Street boutique on Wednesday. “It reminded me of the Fiorucci days when you had an explosion of people.” Duffy said.
Maripol is scheduled to make a formal personal appearance at the boutique on Saturday, when she will sign books and T-shirts. The collection will launch in all freestanding Marc by Marc Jacobs boutiques later this month, and will also be available at the new Chicago Collection store, which opens on Feb. 25.