Marc Jacobs was born in New York City in 1963. He grew up in the town of Teaneck, New Jersey with his mother, sister and younger brother, attending Teaneck High School. Later on he switched to and graduated from New York’s High School of Art and Design.
At fifteen, he worked stocking the shelves at Charivari, a clothing boutique in New York City and perhaps it was this avant garde store that first piqued his interest in fashion.
Higher education led Jacobs to The New School for Design, he won the Perry Ellis Gold Thimble Award. This was during 1984, and in the same (highly productive!) year was also awarded the Chester Weinberg Gold Thimble Award and the Design Student of the Year Award. While still at The New School, Jacobs designed and sold his first range of hand-knit sweaters and he also designed his first collection for Reuben Thomas. This passion to produce and with excellence has been a hallmark of his career.