A conversation with...
Yvane Jacob
Yvane Jacob is a clothes lover from both the past and present. Through her Instagram account Sapé comme Jadis, which boasts over forty thousand followers, Yvane breathes new life into forgotten treasures and cleverly unpacks what fashion history tells us—with wit and intelligence. Enough to silence those still clinging to the idea that fashion is somehow frivolous.
Do you remember your first encounter with fashion?
I remember spending hours as a little girl leafing through mail-order catalogues, imagining all the possible outfit combinations and dreaming of everything I’d buy if I could afford it. It was like today’s online shopping baskets, only with glue and scissors. I discovered fashion through the simple joy of wearing clothes I loved. It’s a feeling I try never to forget.
Could you share a moment from your time at IFM that particularly stood out?
The trips! To Belgium, Normandy, London—to spinning mills, factories, and the workshops in Savile Row. That’s how I got closer to the product itself and realised I wanted to work in fashion studios, developing collections. It’s also how I came to understand that fashion is a full-blown industry, made up of hundreds of vastly different professions.
You created your Instagram account Sapé comme Jadis, where you explore the history of fashion, and you've written several books on the topic. How do you spark interest in fashion history?
My aim was to bridge the gap between the two things I’d studied—political science on one hand, and fashion on the other. I wanted to show that fashion isn’t superficial, and that the history of the field is genuinely fascinating. Fashion is a political, social, geographical, economic, even sporting subject. Absolutely anyone can find a way into it that resonates with them.
I’m producing and hosting a summer series on France Culture, dedicated to the most iconic garments of the twentieth century and their stories—featuring fashion historians as well as designers. It’s a real privilege to give them a platform, and encouraging to see mainstream media taking an interest in fashion history. Over the past decade, there’s been a real shift in attitudes—and that’s pretty cool!
Interview by Sophie Dajez (IFM MS 2023)
After studying social sciences and communications and gaining professional experience in the art world, Sophie Dajez completed the Fashion and Luxury Management Masters at the Institut Français de la Mode in 2022. Sophie now writes for brands, fashion houses and magazines and is co-founder and moderator of the Backstage Fashion Talks association.
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