WWD Interviews Marc Jacobs, The Newsmaker

Having recently concluded his 16-year tenure as Louis Vuitton‘s creative director, last week Marc Jacobs announced a new contract with the LVMH brand in which they hope to prepare his eponymous brand for a lucrative public offering. Though everyone agrees there is a lot of work that needs to be done before an IPO becomes a reality, the American designer is ready for the challenge, assuring the integrity of his brand will never be compromised. Fresh off his last LV showing and focused on the future of his namesake line, Marc Jacobs sits down with WWD to further discuss his current undertakings as well as his plans for the next few years. Read an excerpt of the interview below and click here for the full article.

Are you feeling wistful?

It seems like everyone is, “Are you OK? Are you upset?” I’m like, “No, I’m really not.” And no matter what you say, no matter how you explain the situation—for Robert [Duffy] and me, it’s all really super positive. And if I weren’t OK, I would be the first to say I’m not OK. I’m not good at hiding my feelings. I’m also not good at lying. I’m very open about everything. We’re both really hopeful. We both really believe in what Mr. Arnault said, and we all made this choice. We signed our contracts for the changing [situation] in the Marc Jacobs company, with LVMH.

A new contract?
M.J.: Yes. It’s a huge contract. Again, after Robert was negotiating for so long, it’s another demonstration of how seriously intent they are on taking the company to the next level. What the contract seems to provide for, what they did for Robert and me, is setting up for “this is the direction.” We’ve had Mr. Arnault’s word and we have this contract now. This is all super positive.

Are you up for working toward whatever that direction is?
M.J.: This is just projection, but I’d feel differently if anything changed. I’m going to continue to work in Paris part of the year because it’s beneficial for us. I’m going to continue to devote the amount of time I work on things like shoes and bags. Plus, I’ll take on other things—the Sephora thing has gone super well and I’d like to devote more time to that. To be honest, there was a lot of time that I was in Paris over six months of the year that I was working on Marc Jacobs as well [as Vuitton], which is why we have an office there. At this moment, nothing has changed. The only thing is the Vuitton shows.