A Low-Key Eyewear Artisan's High-Key Met Gala Debut
Jacques Marie Mage mostly keeps to itself. It's a lot like Loro Piana in that way. JMM may be about a hundred years younger but it's not so far removed, with its premo glasses prized as symbols of taste akin to the Loro Piana loafer.
But if the 2025 Met Gala was your introduction to Jacques Marie Mage, you might not think it was so self-effacing.
And yet, there it was, worn by a confluence of extremely Jacques Marie Mage celebs on the Met Gala red carpet: Jeff Goldblum, Stevie Wonder, Willy Chavarria, Tyler Perry, and stylish fencer Miles Chamley-Watson.
A million famous faces have pulled up to any number of fancy functions clad in their Jacques Marie Mage glasses but this was not any ol' fancy function. This was the Met Gala. And a half-dozen celebs rolled up with custom JMM eyewear. Consider it the clearest sign yet of JMM crossover.
And what a wild squad of celebs it was. For any other independent fashion label, it could've been a mix too eclectic. For Jacques Marie Mage, it was the perfect blend.
Little has changed for Jacques Marie Mage even as its four-figure (and slightly under four-figure) eyewear earns an ever-growing grassroots following of well-heeled admirers. It's a worst-kept secret of best-in-class eyewear, handmade from beefy acetate or burly metal and restricted to editions as small as only 50 pieces.
And though Jacques Marie Mage's oeuvre draws design cues from jazz musicians and film greats like Herbie Hancock and Federico Fellini, the only classic thing about its glasses is their inspiration. Their meaty presence is pure T-zone dominance. Timelessly stylish, sure, but by way of blunt modern cool.
As willfully quiet as JMM is as a brand — speaking from experience here, as someone who's attempted to coordinate content with the company — its eyewear is loud 'n proud.
Still, seeing it at the Met Gala recalls the culture shock of Jeremy Strong wearing ultra-niche artisanal imprint Archivio J.M. Ribot to the 2022 Met Gala. A surprisingly splashy moment for an intentionally modest maker.
Just overt proof, if any was lacking, that Jacques Marie Mage's renown is finally as big as its frames.
