Bad news for Marc Jacobs fans. After reports surfaced in fashion circles on Friday, the American designer has confirmed his diffusion line Marc by Marc Jacobs will be discontinued.
The offshoot brand, loved for offering Jacobs' signature quirky styles at more affordable prices, will be folded into the main collection as part of the designer's expansion plan. So, the lower price points aren't disappearing entirely.
"In a sense, we're starting at the beginning," Jacobs explained to WWD.
"The intention now is no different than when Robert [Duffy] and I started Marc by Marc Jacobs or Marc-no-Jacobs" (the nickname he used to give his label).
"We believed that fashion could exist at lots of different prices. It could be flip-flops for $30, a well-priced T-shirt; there could be an honesty and integrity in different types of clothes. It wasn't supposed to be a second line or the poor-relative-of."
Jacobs added, "I think as myself as a fashion customer, and I know on a daily basis I will wear everything from American Apparel to Adidas to Marc Jacobs to Prada. I love that mix of things, that high and low, that rich and poor, all of those contrasts, the everyday and the extraordinary."
This news follows the announcement that Marc Jacobs will go public later this year.
As for MBMJ duo Katie Hillier and Luella Bartley? Vogue reports creative director Hillier will stay on at the company, while it's unknown whether womenswear designer Bartley will take up another position.
Love this brand? Here's a reminder of the S/S 15 collection: