Marc Jacobs leaving Louis Vuitton

By

Florent Gilles

Published
Oct 2, 2013

The rumours have been confirmed: spring-summer 2014 will be Marc Jacob's last collection at Louis Vuitton. The New York-based designer will be leaving his position as creative director at the luxury house to prepare his own eponymous label for an IPO. LVMH took a stake in the label in 1997, the same year that the designer came on board at Louis Vuitton.

It is understood that the initial public offering (IPO), expected within the next three years, will require Jacobs to be fully focused on his own brand in order to ensure the highest possible valuation.

At Vuitton, Jacobs steered growth of the global luxury brand which generates more than 7 billion euros ($9.46 billion) of revenues a year, contributing half of LVMH's operating profits.

The designer's last collection for Louis Vuitton took to the runway this morning at the Cour Carré of the Louvre and ends a spectacular 16 -year reign, during which time he helped transform the brand into a luxury leather giant and a global fashion

As Louis Vuitton prepares to enter this new phase, we wait for a decision to be made on who will succeed the American at the design helm, with strong indications pointing to Nicolas Ghesquière.

The company recently hired accessories designer Darren Spaziani, ex-Proenza Schouler, to beef up its high-end offering of leather bags.