photographer /Â Emily Barta
story / Koko Ntuen
All clothing Angel Barta
Read any comment section on a fashion blog or website, any article, especially one mentioning Marc Jacobs and you might come across a comment that reads like this, “Marc Jacobs is a control-freak puppet master. He supports Miley and he is responsible for her shocking new image. He controls Lady Gaga and Kanye West as well. Jacobs cruelly tortures a young designer named Angel Barta. He stole her ideas and harassed her. Read the truth at: http://styleangelique.blogspot.com.”
On one article mentioning Dakota Fanning’s banned Marc Jacobs advertisement there was a comment reading, “That’s quite terrible! Marc Jacobs has been supporting Dakota from the background since she was very young. He is obsessed with young girls, he has many more sexual and perverse ad campaigns. I heard that he has a secret muse, a very young girl whom he gets his inspiration from.”
More than likely this message will be directed back to Angel Barta’s blog, a site dedicated to exposing the perils she claims she faced from the devious and manipulating ways of Marc Jacobs.
Angel is a porcelain skin, long wavy wheat colored haired beauty with the style of some sort of Cinderella in the 70s. She will state that she is  Hungarian, a model, a designer and a muse. Her eyes blaze with a crazy energy and her smile holds a secret that only she knows. Does one of these secrets have anything to do with Marc Jacobs?
There has been a lot of support of Angel’s story while some commentators question her claims.
‘Seriously get help’, says one commentator called “gyopt.” Another named “Tom” says,  ‘Angel, if you are indeed being “ripped off,” why not start your own line? In terms of Marc “leaving you alone,” you’re the one that comments every possible chance you get, which makes you look like a stalker, rather than someone who is keeping “silent.” Have you considered professional help? (I’m being serious…)’
Sometimes Angel will stand up for herself proclaiming, “I am Angel Barta. Besides the photos on my blog, I have many more photosthat prove that my ideas were stolen by Marc Jacobs. And in addition to photos, I have other serious proof. I have kept silent for 5 years because I hoped MJ would leave me alone, but he still hasn’t, that’s why I wrote the truth on my blog. I want the world to know the truth, that Marc Jacobs has been using my ideas and my unique style for his own success for many years.”
On her site there are side by side images of campaigns side by side with original Angel Barta images that she claims were ideas stolen from her, by her stalker, Marc Jacobs.
As crazy as all this might seems, well not that crazy coming from a fashion world built on images, obsession, drugs, sex and manipulation, Angel is adamant that her story be heard and is very motivated to get her message out to the world. We  went down the rabbit hole that is the internet to find out more about this woman and became quite fascinated by her claims as well as the media she and others have documented to support the fact that yes she has in fact been acquainted with Marc Jacobs but where does the truth start and the fantasy begin? We decided to ask her what she was thinking.
What have you been up to these days? What projects are you working on?
I am currently blogging and spreading my story on the internet. The truth needs to be out there. Plus, I am designing and making new clothes. I am looking for outside investment to help me start my own line of clothing, Angel Barta brand… If I don’t find investors, I will continue to make small collections under my own name in 2014.
Why did you decide to come out with your story about Marc Jacobs?
In the last few years I tried to ignore Marc and the things that he’d been continuously doing to me. But I realized that closing my eyes wouldn’t solve this complicated situation. Even if I don’t care about Marc it didn’t make him forget me. In fact, he continues to copy my ideas and uses them for even more brands. He used all the sneaky tricks he could to hide me from the fashion world, meanwhile he used my talent for his own success without compensation. He wants to be the most powerful person in the fashion industry by using my ideas ever since he ran out of his own ideas.
I have been living in Marc’s shadow for 5 years and this is a very long time for my life. So I felt that this injustice couldn’t go on like this any more. Last Christmas I started my blog where I wrote about my story with Marc, I posted pictures to illustrate how he copies my ideas. Those are just a few examples from many. I have dates, photos, and more that prove everything. If I didn’t, I would have never started my blog. So, I started spreading the story on the internet. Because I felt that no one has a right to trample on an innocent young girl.
Have you received a lot of backlash since you told your story?
No, on the contrary, I receive supportive messages every day. More than 570.000 people have already read my story. Many of my readers email me encouraging me to never give up and go on for the truth to be out so I can get the freedom that I deserve. There has been some criticism of course, but it was all from the people who are supported by Marc Jacobs and who do not want to see his name or brand devalued.
What was your upbringing like?
I grew up in a big city in Hungary. I have a very loving family. I’ve always lived with my parents and my grandmother, who was a brilliant painter. She taught me how to draw and sketch. I am, also, an only child.
Who inspired your style when you were younger?
My mother and my grandmother inspired my style. They’ve always been very stylish and elegant women, wearing unique outfits every day.
Who in the fashion world inspires your style now?
Nobody. I don’t look for inspiration from other people now. I express myself, my soul, my creativity through the way I dress.
Just to clear things up so no one is speculating, do you have any history of mental illness?
To answer your question, I am totally healthy mentally and I have always been. No one has ever had mental issues in my family. I believe that if someone is brave enough to stand up against this injustice in public and against a major fashion figure, that person is not mentally sick, only determine to get the truth out.
Explain your view of the fashion world to our readers who will never really come close to that word?
I love the fashion world, it is a beautiful industry. Fashion design, creating beautiful clothes is my passion. I want to be a recognized fashion designer and work in the fashion industry.
What is the scariest part of the fashion world to you?
The only scary part of the fashion world to me is the fact that a well-known fashion designer, like Marc, can trample on a young and ambitious designer, like myself. In the meanwhile he is using my talent and earning millions from it and has been doing it for almost 6 years and no one does anything to stop it. This is scary to me.
What music inspires you?
I love Cher, Abba, the music of the Dirty Dancing and James Arthur.
What inspires you in general?
Paris and its beautiful, romantic atmosphere inspire me and also love.
Where can we see your namesake fashion line?
You can check my look-book with my designs on:Â http://www.angelbarta.com/gallery2
You can also see my fist published book, that I wrote about the first 2 years of my relationship with Marc Jacobs and about my experiences in Paris.
What is your life along aspiration?
I want to be able to create beautiful clothes for girls and women of every age and I want to get credit for my work, my time and my effort.
Does Marc ever get in touch with you these days?
Yes, he still often writes me, but now he is in St. Barth’s, so I have not heard from him for a few days. The network is not so good there.
Have any other celebrity designers reached out to you since you told your story?
I know more celebrity designers, now, and they all know about my story. At the moment they are “observing” what is going on, where is it going, what will happen next.
What do you think will happen next?
I think my story will be shared in more and more places and the truth will win, soon.
