LVMH plans to sell Marc Jacobs

Bernard Arnault’s group may soon part company with one of its most iconic American labels.

After exiting the capital of Off-White in 2023, luxury giant LVMH is now considering divesting from the Marc Jacobs house, according to information revealed by the Wall Street Journal. The French group is currently in advanced discussions with several funds specialized in brand management, including Authentic Brands Group, WHP Global and Bluestar Alliance.

If confirmed, the deal could be worth close to a billion dollars, marking a turning point for LVMH, whose portfolio already includes such iconic houses as Dior, Givenchy and Loewe.

A brand with a contrasting history

Founded in 1984 in New York by Marc Jacobs himself, the eponymous house has long embodied a creative, urban and youthful New York style. The designer, who was also artistic director of Louis Vuitton from 1997 to 2013, breathed new life into the French label, while developing his own brand with the support of the LVMH group.

The Marc Jacobs brand today also includes its sister line Heaven by Marc Jacobs, aimed at a younger clientele, and boasts 280 points of sale worldwide with around 1,300 employees. However, despite a strong visual identity and successful campaigns, the brand has not succeeded in establishing itself on the same level as other labels in the LVMH portfolio, particularly in the premium luxury segment.

Strategic repositioning in a downturn

This decision comes at a time when LVMH has announced a -4% decline in sales for the first half of 2025, to a total of 39.8 billion euros. A less favorable economic context and a desire for strategic refocusing could explain this withdrawal, already initiated with Off-White a year earlier.

If the sale of Marc Jacobs is confirmed, it would reflect a desire to concentrate on the most profitable and strategic brands, in a market where the hyper-growth of previous years seems to be slowing down.

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