In this special interview, Seen Opticians Head Honcho catches up with Jacques Marie Mage founder, Jerome Mage.
As most of you know, a chat with Jacques Marie Mage founder Jerome Mage has been pretty high up my bucket list for a while. Over the last ten years or so he’s almost singlehandedly changed the luxury eyewear game. The coveting of Japanese craftsmanship. The production of detail-rich pieces interwoven with stories and history. Timeless nature of eyewear design. It was all pieced together by Jerome and his brand Jacques Marie Mage. And honestly, they have created the greatest excitement about eyewear I have witnessed in my time in the industry.
Jacques Marie Mage have a special place on our shelves at Seen. They’re the archetypal ‘Seen brand’ that do a pretty good job of encompassing everything we love about eyewear. They consistently push how eyewear can represent an individual and the frames they produce are never anything less than off-the-charts incredible. I kid you not, for someone who’s really into eyewear, even just holding a pair in your hands is close to a spiritual experience.
Tareq
Well, thank you for sitting down with me. I've been wanting to interview you for a long time, as I think you know, so I do appreciate you taking the time to spend some time with me, and in your motherland as well. Do you enjoy being in France? Or is it too hectic?
Jerome
I don't know. At the moment it depends. Each trip is very different, you know what I mean?
Tareq
Do you still have a social connection to France though, to Paris? Can you come and relax here, or is it just purely work now when you come here?
Jerome
No, it's purely work. I have a couple of close friends, but it's mostly a place for me to come and work.
Tareq
Life's moved on.
Jerome
Yeah, and that's the beauty of life. It's a constant change. So if you expect the same from life, you're probably going to be quite disappointed. I love changes, so I embrace the good and the bad, and what the future brings. So yeah, now, trips to France are mostly work.
"...for me, it's not about nostalgia, it's about curiosity. It's about our common human history, our stories as human beings, the pursuit of beauty, the pursuit of the perfect pair of eyewear. That's what I'm interested in." JM
Tareq
Speaking of changes, it's fair to say since 2014 you've changed the eyewear game. How does that make you feel?
Jerome
I'm not very focused on that part. I'm mostly focused on the next 10 years.
Tareq
…but you must be aware of the impact you've had.
Jerome
I'm aware because there are so many companies that copy me! And I would say in a heartless, disgraceful manner. Especially the last year, it's been a bit hard to see; it's a bitter pill to swallow. If you are inspired by our work, or if it motivates you to do a better job for yourself, that's one thing. But there are many companies now that absolutely don't care; it's just imitation. So yes, of course, it's a form of flattery. Fine. I get it. It makes me quite aware of our place in the industry. But that's not my focus. I got to where I am by not focusing on what other people do.
At the moment, I'm entirely focusing on continuing to reinvent JMM, and we're going to do that. We have a lot of projects in the next two years, and my idea is to be in a very different place.
Polished to perfection
Tareq
Obviously, you reference cultural figures and icons of the past, but yet the brand is very fresh and modern. How do you tread that fine line and not end up with it being just a nostalgia trip down memory lane?
Jerome
Because for me, it's not about nostalgia, it's about curiosity. It's about our common human history, our stories as human beings, the pursuit of beauty, the pursuit of the perfect pair of eyewear. That's what I'm interested in.
I'm taking stories that have a strong point of reference that are actually meaningful to all the human race in general, and I'm moving the context and just re-actualizing those frames and putting them in a modern perspective for a new generation.
I don't think that I want to change. I'm a storyteller, and I hope I'm helping people being curious. I hope I'm encouraging people to discover things they don't know about. I hope I'm transporting people in a different time period to embrace a different character, a different side of their personality.
Tareq
Well, I can tell you from my experience in the store, sunglasses have always had an ability to make somebody feel like a rock star or whatever it may be. But with JMM now, with spectacles, it's happening too. They're putting them on, and you can see a character change happening while somebody is trying them on.
Jerome
A lot of people say to me, “Jerome, we don't really buy the glasses, we buy the mystique behind it.” My job is always to create collectable objects, and the collectable object is essentially a vehicle for storytelling. That's what I do. The physical manifestation today of my work is eyewear. Tomorrow it could be something else.
"It's incredibly difficult to make a pair of Jacques Marie Mage frames. I think it's one of the most difficult processes in the world. There are at least 150 steps that are done by hand... Imagine how many things can go wrong." JM
Tareq
It's interesting you say that because my first memory of Jacques Marie Mage goes back to SILMO in 2015. You were on a desk on your own with some frames that were bison leather-wrapped. I remember seeing them and it piqued my interest. It was clearly being designed by somebody with a future in mind, like creating something that was a collectable, something that you would actually want to give to the next generation. You're a collector yourself, right?
Jerome
I'm a huge collector.
Tareq
BMXs, I think?
Jerome
Everything. Native American, First Empire, BMX, motorcycles, historical books, jewellery, watches. I love objects with stories. I think that's what makes things special. I love sharing those stories and I love the idea of curiosity, the sense of discovery it brings to your life.
Tareq
Did that feel like an easy decision to design with that in mind 10 years ago?
Jerome
It's not easy; it's who I am. I have no pretence to be somebody else. I have no interest in being somebody else, not like some of my competitors. I have no interest for Jacques Marie Mage to be anything other than Jacques Marie Mage. It doesn't interest me. I'm completely authentic.
I'm a person who does everything with all my heart and 100% passion. I'm 100% involved in what I do, from the atelier to taking photographs. I don't know how to do anything else.
Polishing frames in JMM's Japanese atelier
Tareq
What is it like in the atelier? Can you give them a sense of how much work goes into making JMM eyewear?
Jerome
It's incredibly difficult to make a pair of Jacques Marie Mage frames. I think it's one of the most difficult processes in the world. There are at least 150 steps that are done by hand. Imagine every time out of those 300 steps to make a pair of eyewear, but 50 to 60% is still completely done by hand. Imagine how many things can go wrong. Imagine the attention to detail. Imagine the labor of love. The polishing, because we have thick acetate, huge surfaces. It's so hard to get those surfaces to be flat, polished.
There are so many beautiful things that are built in, but it is incredibly difficult. At the atelier, they always say, "Jerome, there's a Toyota line for everyone else and there's a Lexus high-end luxury line for Jacques-Marie Mage."
We definitely are not produced and handled the same way as everybody else. I'm very grateful because I think it's a very tight partnership with Japan. I love Japan. I'm passionate. I'm obsessed. The way we've been able to work with all our Japanese craftsmen is incredible.
Tareq
They have a sense of pride in their work as well.
Jerome
Correct.
Tareq
It wasn't until I went to Japan that I realized just how obsessive Japanese craftsmen are.
"We are working on a capsule collection of jewellery. It's a big passion of mine, too. I think our eyewear is already very informed by jewellery. It's got jewellery details built in." JM
Jerome
Because you have to understand, that compared to things that are manufactured in Italy, Italy is mostly newer machines, right? From the last 10 years, it's a lot of processes that have become a little bit more automatic.
In Japan, a lot of the time work they’re working with post-World War II machines, very old. In order to be really good with older machines or older processes, you have to long for perfection. At that point, craft becomes almost a spiritual journey. That's what Japan does. They elevate craftsmanship into spirituality. The Italian genius is art and industrialisation together. A frame built in Italy has a very different DNA than a frame in Japan. Because in Japan, somehow, I think our frames have a real sense of humanity and warmth and luxuries that only Japan can give you.
It's that quest to rise above, push what you do to such a high degree that you're above it. At that point, you elevate it to something that's sacred. That's what you get out of Japanese craftsmanship, especially in the eyewear industry.
Does it measure up? Measurement testing a pair of JMM frames
Tareq
Have you designed the perfect frame yet?
Jerome
No, no, absolutely not. My project is really the quest for beauty and the best frame, the absolute frame. I'm not done. I want to continue. I like to work at that edge. When I find the edge, I ask everybody to keep going beyond it. There's always things to improve. There are always things to be done better.
Tareq
Given everything you've said, about the heart and soul of the atelier and yourself, and everything that you've used, all these beautiful words, what do you expect from us as retailers of your beautiful products to give to the customer?
Jerome
I think, again, the most beautiful thing you can offer is your product knowledge. Share the stories that we have in common, our love and passion for eyewear. I think, first of all, that's something that unites us very strongly because I know how passionate you are for eyewear. I think the first job would be to teach them about what's great quality, great design in eyewear, to help them.
Sometimes they don't have a point of view or find their way in the great world of eyewear production. It's really to share our stories and share the Jacques Marie Mage DNA at the highest level. It's really about being a partner in telling the story, and that's what we do at the end.
It's not about the sale, it's not about the product, it's really about the story. I think the story is what makes Jacques Marie Mage special to everyone.
"We're not fashion. I don't do fashion. You know, fashion is one season you're Tropical Tokyo, and the next season you're Berlin Bauhaus. That's not what I do." JM
Tareq
I think certainly people hearing this are going to feel that.
You mentioned earlier about the future. You clearly have a talent for jewellery design, and you've talked about that. Can you give us an idea of where Jacques Marie Mage is going? That may be a hard question to answer without divulging too much.
Jerome
It's hard, because I think, first of all, the future is always in motion, and that's the beauty of it. I have an idea of the next 12, 18 months. I have an idea of where I want to go in 10 years. Sometimes in between, it can be very fuzzy, and you've got to show resilience, perseverance, and a lot of agility to manage it.
We are working on a capsule collection of jewellery. It's a big passion of mine, too. I think our eyewear is already very informed by jewellery. It's got jewellery details built in. That's something we're going to continue to do, and we're going to continue to explore more avenues within eyewear: new materials, different ways to manufacture, and just continue to push and advance and create unique impressions in the world so people can express themselves.
The foil Jacques Marie Mage detailing on each frame is added by hand
Tareq
So do you think of yourself as an eyewear brand now, or are you transcended into a fashion brand, or is it just...
Jerome
We're not fashion. I don't do fashion. You know, fashion is one season you're Tropical Tokyo, and the next season you're Berlin Bauhaus. That's not what I do. I don't do fashion. I don't try to do it.
I don't like to pretend we're fashion, and I'm not interested in making Jacques Marie Mage a fashion brand at all. I think, if you ask me, we make heirloom type of objects that are very personal to people. They are luxury objects that you'd like to pass on, intimate objects that you wear on your skin, that are collectable. If you ask me what Jacques Marie Mage maybe could be, maybe it could be what you put on your face, what you put on your hands, what you put in your pocket, you know?
Tareq
Sorry, I knew fashion was a bad word!
Jerome
I'm not trying to be a Gucci or Saint Laurent. No, no, not at all.
Tareq
That's cool. And I mean, I can't give too much away, because it's obviously from the new collection, but the new colour that you've launched, which has that beautiful heirloom quality to it already. The Burlwood.
Jerome
Yeah, so the guys should go crazy over that. Like I said, it's a collection of colours that were used in the late 70s, early 80s.
I'm always in some sort of late 70s, early 80s Saint Laurent suit. It's really my era, so I love that time period. I'm excited for that colour, that acetate colour. It took us a long time to develop it, and I very much look forward to people experiencing it.
Tareq
Yeah, as soon as I saw it, it reminded me of, say, an old whiskey cabinet or something like that. Just this beautiful wood.
Jerome
Exactly. Yeah, it's that world of heirloom objects, and that's really what it is with intimacy and luxury built in.
Tareq
Yeah, it'd be interesting to see how people feel about it.
Jerome
I think they'll like it. It's such a special colour.
Tareq
Okay, to finish off. I believe you have a bit of a connection to the UK. Do you think the JMM fans will ever have the chance to see you in our store?
Jerome
Yeah, of course. I should come more to the UK. Obviously, I have a beautiful and amazing girlfriend who's Welsh, and a kid who's half Welsh. We're watching the Rugby World Cup right now, but yeah, I will spend more time in the UK for sure. It'd be my pleasure to visit you guys.
Tareq
We should make it happen.
Jerome
Yes, yes, we should, no doubt.
Tareq
On that note, we'll say cheers and merci!
Jerome
Merci. Thank you!
It's always a pleasure to get the opportunity to speak to the people behind the brands we're so passionate about. If you can make it over to our Manchester Store and are interested in finding out more about Jacques Marie Mage or any of the brand's magnificant pieces, book an in-person styling appointment or eye test here. You can also take a look at our collection of Jacques Marie Mage frames available online here.
