The 81st Venice Film Festival welcomed one of fashion’s most iconic designers on Tuesday with the world premiere of “Marc by Sofia,” a new documentary directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Sofia Coppola. The film offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at Marc Jacobs and his creative process as he builds his Spring 2024 ready-to-wear collection.

Premiering out of competition, the film marks Coppola’s first foray into documentary filmmaking and centers on her 30-year friendship with Jacobs. Their personal connection enabled an intimate and cinematic portrayal of the designer’s workflow, from selecting fabrics to the final runway execution.

“I was excited not to have a script or a plot,” Coppola told reporters in Venice. “It was really me discovering his process… and intertwining it with the history of what he’s made and his references and the artists he’s collaborated with.”

The film tracks the 12 weeks leading up to Jacobs’ Spring 2024 show during New York Fashion Week. It blends archival footage, studio vignettes, interviews, and personal moments, showcasing Jacobs’ deeply instinctive and non-linear approach to design. “We are not very linear in the way we work,” Jacobs says in the film, surrounded by swatches and samples spread across his desk.

A personal perspective

Having Coppola behind the camera brought both comfort and vulnerability, said Jacobs. “Corny as this sounds, I feel like this was really a beautiful love letter—to me, my work, and to our friendship,” he told Italian broadcaster Rai on the red carpet.

Jacobs, who rose to prominence in the late 1980s with his grunge-inspired collections, served as creative director at Louis Vuitton from 1997 to 2013, helping transform the French house into a global fashion powerhouse. Today, he remains the head designer of his namesake brand under LVMH.

The film also offers glimpses of his earliest career moments—including footage from his Parsons graduate show that Jacobs said he had never seen before. “There were a few moments that really surprised me,” he said, recalling the emotional weight of revisiting his early work.

Coppola described the project as “a fun treasure hunt,” referencing the process of piecing together vintage imagery, clips from 1990s New York, and personal photos—including moments with Jacobs’ grandmother—to construct the documentary’s visual identity.

“I wanted it to feel personal but never be intrusive,” Coppola said. “It was really a personal portrait of my friend. It wasn’t a marketing piece or a commercial.”

A cinematic fashion show

The film culminates with Jacobs’ Spring 2024 show, where models walked in oversized wigs and Twiggy-inspired lashes. “To see that energy and stress and excitement right before the show… and to film it in a cinematic way—that was new for me,” Coppola shared.

The documentary lands at a pivotal time for the Marc Jacobs brand, as recent reports from “The Wall Street Journal” suggest that parent company LVMH is considering a potential sale. The company is currently estimated to be worth $1 billion.

FashionNetwork.com with AFP and Reuters