Marc Jacobs Naked in Ad For Bang, New Men's Fragrance

by Grace Gold
Marc Jacobs likes getting naked.

The highly lusted-over designer has bared it all for a WWD melanoma awareness cover, a Louis Vuitton bag ad and now in a fragrance ad for his newest men's scent, Bang.

The strategy for Jacobs' most recent au naturel campaign was actually business partner Robert Duffy's idea.

"Robert and I work closely with Coty on these projects, and he said, 'Marc, you look so great now -- you should be the model for men's fragrance.' My immediate reaction was, I don't know. But then I came to see that it made sense. Men's fragrance, unlike women's in a certain way, is very personal. It's a layer on top of skin -- for women, it can be like changing a makeup color, but not for men," Jacobs told WWD.


The ad depicts a sultry and well-oiled Jacobs laying against crumpled silver mylar sheets with his legs splayed open, and only an oversized fragrance bottle blocking the view of his boy parts.

But not everyone will see the racy version of the ad; areas of the Midwest will see a version of Jacobs cropped at the shoulders and holding the scent near his face, while the Middle East will only see the bottle.

The inspiration behind the scent's name -- Bang -- is also very sexy.

"I was in the gym, and the name Bang came to me. As a word, it has so many connotations, including a sexual connotation. And I loved the immediacy and the sound of the word," said Jacobs.

We imagine Jacobs will like the immediacy of sales too -- his prior Daisy and Lola fragrances have been sold-out sensations.

Bang has top notes of peppercorns, a heart of deep masculine woods and a drydown of patchouli, vetiver and white moss. The juice will be marketed to men 25 and older, with a 1.7 oz size retailing for $55 and the 3.4 oz size going for $75. An aftershave balm, hair and body wash and deodorant stick will complete the collection.

The scent will launch July 30th at Bloomingdale's and Marc Jacobs stores, with the ad dropping in September fashion publications when Bang is set to expand to 1,800 department and specialty retail stores.

"It will be everywhere and in your face," said Claire Fermont Langlais, senior marketing director at parent company Coty Prestige.

And another women's fragrance and possibly even color cosmetics line are in the brainstorming stages now.

"Robert and I would love to do cosmetics at some point, even if it is a limited range. Makeup, like perfume and clothes, is part of the ritual, which every woman I know enjoys choosing and wearing. I love how transformative all of that is. Makeup is an accessory as much as shoes and handbags are, and relates to fashion very strongly," said Jacobs.

Funny -- the designer doesn't seem big on carrying accessories himself -- or even wearing clothing, for that matter.

In other Marc Jacobs news, his SOHO store just got a very special delivery.