The curious case of Marc by Marc Jacobs: The line is reportedly closing

Marc by Marc Jacobs Closing
Photography by Peter Stigter

To those who came to late teens in the early ‘00s, Marc by Marc Jacobs is like the Holy Grail: Unknown enough to be coveted by the anti-Juicy, expensive enough to become birthday present material and the perfect toe dip into high fashion price points. Well, today it was announced that Marc by Marc as we know it would be no more, and instead would be folded into the Marc Jacobs brand. Innnteresting.

Aside from dissing millennial designers and street stylers, things have been relatively hush hush in the world of Marc Jacobs since he left Louis Vuitton. The 46-year-old designer has been busy working on taking his company public, alongside partner LVMH and new CEO Sebastian Suhl.

According to a speech made by LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault last year, Jacobs is “the most emblematic designer in the United States,” hinting at its major potential for growth. But while we would assume that Marc by Marc, which reportedly makes up 70% of the brand’s revenue and relaunched to major fanfare only last year, would be part of this growth, it’s rumoured that it will just become part of a Marc Jacobs mega brand.

At the outset, it seems pretty strange. Marc Jacobs is considered high design, with prices topping out in the multiple thousands. By comparison, Marc by Marc (and its kitchy offshoot trinket and bookstores) is more about $20 T-shirts. But given that Marc by Marc essentially invented the contemporary sphere, perhaps they know something we don’t? It’s safe to say that all will be revealed eventually. We’ll keep on guard until it does.

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