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.
Marc Jacobs’ creative process captured in new Sofia Coppola documentary – AFP
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.
Puma is continuing its fruitful fashion-meets-sport collab with UK streetwear brand Represent, this time “rewriting the playbook of basketball-inspired staples”.
Puma x Represent
Fusing “Heritage Hoops Energy with Modern Streetwear”, it brings the two brands neatly together with a campaign fronted by German NBA star Dennis Schröder who “embodies the collection’s balanced fusion of court performance and off-court style”.
The “simple yet elevated collection” spans footwear and apparel that’s “highlighted by expressive and detailed cut-and-sew designs”, as well as a fresh interpretation of Puma’s All-Pro Nitro 2 sneaker.
Its “court-ready” Jersey and Shorts debut comes with a newly designed Puma x Represent graphic, featuring mesh construction and contrasting trim “that nods to retro game-day uniforms”.
The range is, of course, accompanied by “courtside essentials” including a Graphic T-Shirt and Hoodie, “pieces that bring bold visual detailing to the championship collaboration”.
A Coach Jacket and accompanying Pants also “comprise comfortable warm-up layers with everyday wearability”.
For footwear, Puma x Represent presents a re-envision All-Pro Nitro 2, a performance design underpinned by “explosive Nitro cushioning and a lightweight Ultraweave upper”. The black and white two-tone colourway is punctuated by subtle logo hits on the heel and tongue.
Complementing one of Puma’s “most modern examples of basketball performance technology”, the collection brings “a touch of ‘80s flair with the low-top Majesty”.
Spanish label Toni Pons continues to expand its global retail network and has opened a new store in the US. The Catalan espadrille brand has opened in Miami Beach, Florida, at 1656 Lenox Ave. It is the brand’s second store in the state, following its opening at the end of 2024 in Boca Raton.
Interior of the new Toni Pons store in Miami – Toni Pons
The Spanish footwear brand, which will celebrate its 80th anniversary in 2026, announced the opening via its profile on the professional networking platform LinkedIn and described it as “a new chapter in its international journey.”
Based in Girona, the footwear brand was founded in 1946 and currently operates more than 50 company-owned stores in Spain and abroad. The online channel is also a key pillar of its business, and the brand is available at around 4,000 multi-brand points of sale across nearly 90 markets. In financial terms, the brand records annual turnover of approximately €32 million.
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In another change to Kering’s organisational structure: the group has announced that Bartolomeo Rongone, CEO of Bottega Veneta, will leave the group on March 31, 2026 to pursue new career opportunities.
Bartolomeo Rongone and Remo Ruffini – Moncler
The executive will step down from his role at Bottega Veneta on March 31, 2026, and will be appointed CEO of the Moncler Group with effect from April 1, 2026.
Under the Moncler Group’s new organisational set-up, Remo Ruffini will serve as executive chairman, retaining responsibility for creative direction and continuing to play a central role in governance and in shaping the group’s strategic direction.
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