Marc Jacobs was born in New York City and at the age of 15 he worked as a stockboy at Charivari, a clothing-boutique in New York. He then entered Parsons The New School for Design. While at Parsons he designed and sold his first line of hand knit sweaters. He also designed his first collection for Reuben Thomas Inc. Following his studies at Parsons, Jacob designed a "grunge" collection for Perry Ellis. Jacob eventually left Perry Ellis and collaborated with Robert Duffy. To this day the Jacob Duffy Design Inc still continues. In 1986, Jacob designed his first collection bearing the Marc Jacobs label. Jacob is the prominent fixture in the New York celebrity scene, having become a celebrity himself. Most of his collections make reference to the fashions of past decades from the forties to the eighties. Marc Jacob is also the current Creative Director for Louis Vuitton.