Retail’s new religion, brought to you by Jacquemus (a masterclass in storytelling and spectacle).
No one does it better than Simon. A designer who’s launched as many think pieces as he has impractically pint-sized bags into the fashion ether, his surrealist world continues to blur the line between fashion, art and fantasy. Suffice it to say, we’re here for it. Exhibit A: his recent banana-themed arrival in Los Angeles, which, FYI, we’re still talking about ad nauseam and have zero plans to stop.
The Launch Was… Bananas
In case you literally take up residence underneath a rock: the Jacquemus boutique launch on Melrose was a banana-studded spectacle for the ages. Marking a seismic shift in how luxury retail moves through culture, the brand’s touchdown was engineered to travel fast online and linger offline for years to come — no doubt it will be studied in history books in years to come. Featuring a giant banana on wheels and a Provençal flower stand, the store was designed to feel more like a curated mood than a commercial space.
Jacquemus pulled off what most luxury brands still struggle to: relevance without force, playfulness without dilution and product embedded in atmosphere.
Retail as Storytelling
Founded in 2009, Jacquemus has always approached retail with the razor-sharp, whimsically imaginative instincts of a storyteller. The L.A. launch reinforced a now-signature strategy: creating physical spaces that feel less like stores and more like brand episodes. Less transactional, more immersive. The Melrose boutique operates not as a typical retail space but as a portal into the Jacquemus worldview: sun-kissed, referential and always satisfyingly surreal. The Banana Car, a Jacquemus-branded convertible cruising down Melrose, got heads turning the world over. But it was far from a gimmick. The motif reappeared at the flower stand, inside the store and across digital touchpoints. A visual through-line that turned charm into cohesion, delivering maximum cultural cut-through with minimal media spend. Brilliant, as per.
Continue reading on our Substack, Public Opinion.
