On a long and seemingly endless turquoise couch sits model Reign Judge, influencers Ruby Lynn and Gabriette, “nepo baby” Iris Apatow, and Sopranos and White Lotus lead Michael Imperioli. Traits these personas share only lie in the niche internet subculture created by gen-z fashion media enthusiasts. They come together and share a couch for Marc Jacobs Heaven; clad in grungy knits, baggy trousers, super-platform boots and handcuff accessories. The brand represents a resurgence of 90’s and 2000’s effortless cool, pointing to archival Marc Jacobs and Anna Sui pieces. Heaven appeals to the Tiktok generation, who have proved their willingness to spend $120-$375 per piece. In other words, a match made in heaven, literally.
Since 2020, Marc Jacobs diffusion line “Heaven” has frequent collaborators releasing monthly drops with icons of the Tiktok zeitgeist ranging from the critically acclaimed Sofia Copola film The Virgin Suicides (1999), Japanese apparel brand Stray Rats and Shakedown Street graduates Online Ceramics. The @heavn Instagram highlights campaigns starring A-list celebrities, most recently rappers Lil Uzi Vert and Ice Spice with over 366 thousand followers. In 2018, a report stated Marc Jacobs brand was losing an annual 61 million dollars, with no profitable entities. Heaven has been Marc Jacobs' salvation, pulling the brand out of financial tribulation with an estimated 67% increase in sales (Business of Fashion.)
Heaven is the brainchild of Marc Jacobs (head of his namesake brand) and fashion writer, photographer and stylist Ava Nirui (@avanope.) Heaven's initial releases of teddy-bear logo tee-shirts, chain belts and friendship necklaces came at a turning point in youth culture; the
rise of fashion TikTok. No brand has been able to capture the essence of Gen-Z quite like Heaven. It is their mission to collaborate with every piece of a new subversive culture, including celebrities Bladee and Yung Lean (both under YEAR0001), and the Japanese Fruits magazine. The pieces were picked up fast by TikTok influencers and quickly created a culture of their own, with various hauls and OOTDs dedicated solely to the brand. The first collaboration between Heaven and The Virgin Suicides featuring screen printed skirts and puffy purses gave light to entirely new niche subculture; one of film-head Sofia Coppola enthusiasts, bringing a fashionable edge to the director’s reputation.
Through their three years of operation, Heaven has done over 10 collaborations with different brands, influencers, films, and musicians. In one of their first collaborations, Heaven released a collection with the heritage shoe company Dr. Martens. The croc-embossed leather boots, Mary Janes and oxfords with signature teddy bear Heaven branding and clasps sold out instantly.The shoes also propelled the re-sell culture of Marc Jacobs Heaven, with up-charges up to $170 over MSRP on sites such as StockX and Depop.
By studying web trends and consumer behavior, creative director for Heaven Ava Nirui has established her identity in the fashion industry as gen-z’s representative, taking inspiration from streetwear brands Supreme and Palace. Supreme is also a brand known for niche collaborations, sometimes not appealing to its entire audience. For FW16, Supreme released a collaboration with Hip-hop duo Capone-n-Noreaga, introducing the idea of cultural-bandwagoning. People were seen wearing the shirts without knowing who the rappers were, upsetting the true fanbase of C-N-N. Heaven faces a similar obstacle; creating niche collaborations that little-to-none of their audience knows about or enjoys pre-collaboration. Another example of cultural bandwagoning is Heaven will create whatever collaboration that will leave their consumers feeling like they have a cool upperhand, knowing about some aspect of culture that their peers might not necessarily know of. Just like when a football team is on a winning-streak and gains fans solely for this reason. Consumers also jump onto “winning-trends' ' that project coolness and the “if you know you know” factor.
In Heaven’s latest collaboration with 90’s alternative metal band Deftones, cultural bandwagoning has never been more transparent. The pieces of the collection were mostly screen prints and Deftones logo-tees also in collaboration with Stray Rats. None of the pieces had any spunk or edge to them, opposite to 2020 heaven, which was filled with deep pleats, shirts with ties and metal hardware. Pieces from this collection were copy
and paste silhouettes, and also very similar to Supreme, with the release of the Heaven Deftones jersey, extremely similar to the Supreme Gummo jersey for SS22. With this collection consumers see a transactional shift, where pieces lose artistic value and fall into a “logo-sells''
mentality. The loss of integrity first began with their Cocteau Twins collaboration. The 90’s Scottish rock band found fame for their mesmerizing melodies and fiery album art. In a simple design, Heaven took the words “Heaven or Las Vegas” (a classic Cocteau Twins song,) and plastered it on shirts, rings and necklaces for another word-based cash grab.
There is no stop to Heaven’s financial success in the near future, with more collaborations and A-list celebrities always in line. Transitioning away from artistic fashion, Heaven will continue to use each trendy niche (person, brand, musician or film) to their profitable advantage, upsetting fans of each subculture along the way. Though this cause and effect seems inevitable with the brand's design and conceptual process, the memory of 2020-21 Heaven still remains for gen-z fashion connoisseurs, hoping the brand will eventually turn back to its virtuous roots.
(All photos courtesy of @heavn on Instagram and Marcjacobs.com)
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