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Marc by Marc Jacobs is No More

Say goodbye to Marc Jacobs’ hip, affordable little brother: the designer announced today that Marc by Marc Jacobs, the label he founded with his business partner, Robert Duffy, in 2001 will merge with the main line, Marc Jacobs. The impetus for such a move comes from the desire to offer a more cohesive and unified message and aesthetic to customers.

This comes three years after Katie Hillier and Luella Bartley were appointed creative director and womenswear design director, respectively, and on the heels of a well-received FW 2015 collection debut at New York Fashion Week this past February.

Speaking to WWD, Marc Jacobs revealed that, although pleased with the success of the Marc by Marc Jacobs label, “it just feels like we aren’t doing that job by showing two different collections with two different messages.”

What will happen to current MBMJ stores is unclear, as is the fate of associated ventures, namely Bookmarc retail stores, although they are likely to remain operating as before.