Marc Jacobs is stepping down as creative director of Louis Vuitton.  Jacobs, now 50 years old, is one of the biggest names in the fashion industry.  Throughout his 16 year voyage with LV, Jacobs brought the brand from a luggage house to a global fashion power.

The decision to leave Louis Vuitton marks the official start of Jacobs IPO (initial public offering) for the Marc Jacobs brand.  Jacobs made his announcement at the Louis Vuitton Spring 2014 fashion show in Paris.

According to chairman of LVMH (Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton,) Bernard Arnault, even though the company will lose a large advantage to their brand by saying goodbye to Jacobs, they will benefit from sharing in the potential billion-dollar payoff from Marc Jacobs stock offering.

Jacobs has done well to refine his own brand through Hollywood and pop culture.  He will return to his native New York to continue to improve his already popular lines.

I believe that this change will affect the performance of Louis Vuitton’s fashion shows, as Jacobs declared his “theatrical” styles early on, and that contributed to heightening the brands profile by introducing collaborations with artists such as Richard Prince, Takashi Murakami, Stephen Sprouse, and Kanye West.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2013/10/02/designer-marc-jacobs-leaves-louis-vuitton/2906881/

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/02/entertainment-us-lvmh-louisvuitton-jacob-idUSBRE9910HY20131002