Marc Jacobs Sets Fall 2021 Live Runway Show Return
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After a two-season hiatus from the runway, Marc Jacobs will return with a live event June 28 in New York City.
That’s all that has been confirmed so far by the brand; further details will be released in the coming weeks.
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When Jacobs did not design a runway collection in September 2020 or February 2021, the industry wondered if it was a sign of distress for a company that’s had several challenging years, with high-profile exits of executives and designers, and a reduction of store count by nearly half from an all-time high of more than 250 worldwide.
But buoyed by the 2020 success of Marc Jacobs Perfect, Coty Inc.’s biggest fragrance launch in 15 years, the LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton-owned brand began plotting a return to growth — and the runway — earlier this year, starting with a new retail concept for its streetwear line Heaven.
A Heaven pop-up store opened in Los Angeles in April, featuring the brand’s cheerfully subversive mix of clothing and lifestyle products steeped in grunge, anime, rave culture and Marc’s own ’90s fashion history, now being discovered by a new generation of fans.
“We are concentrating our focus on U.S. retail this year. Every month, we will be opening a new store, and each time the format will be adapted to the local customer,” chief executive officer Eric Marechalle told WWD at the time. He joined from Kenzo in 2017, noting the new stores, adding to 130 globally, will be mixes of runway, Heaven, The Marc Jacobs line and off-price outlets.
“Marc will be giving his vision every season; that’s something we will restart soon,” said Marechalle, who in 2020 managed to guide the brand to profitability for the first time in five years.
“I feel very secure with Eric. I think he’s doing an incredible job,” said Jacobs. “The changes we’ve made, with online, with creating more accessibility, and from a financial sense, are setting us up to be able to do runway,” the designer added, sharing that his new runway collection will incorporate learnings from the brand’s new digital savvy and swing to more accessible product.
Showing the collection in June skews him more toward a see now, buy now model, which is being embraced by many brands as the shifting retail framework puts more of an emphasis on direct, in-season sales.
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