The company was founded in 1989 by Mitchell Jacobs, a former buyer at Browns. The company was named after the French artist Marcel Duchamp with the following claim by Jacobs : "Duchamp turned everyday objects into art and I turned everyday icons of men's fashion into wearable art".
The company was founded by Mitchell Jacobs in 1989, building on his background as a buyer at Browns. By naming the firm after Marcel Duchamp, Jacobs aimed to highlight how he transformed ordinary icons of men's fashion into wearable art, much like Duchamp transformed everyday objects into art.