LVMH is selling Marc Jacobs to WHP Global, the parent company of Vera Wang and Rag & Bone, the two companies announced on Thursday.
With the acquisition of Marc Jacobs, WHP Global—a New York-based brand management firm—adds a major prize to a portfolio that already includes G-Star, Joe’s, Express, and Vera Wang.
G-III Apparel Group, which owns Donna Karan, will partner with WHP Global in owning the Marc Jacobs brand.
“Marc Jacobs is a designer of rare creativity and a unique vision,” said LVMH chairman and CEO Bernard Arnault in a statement on Thursday. “His impact on the fashion world is undeniable, and I want to warmly thank him for his contributions to the success of the house and the LVMH Group over the past 30 years. I’m confident this new chapter will open up fresh opportunities for Marc Jacobs, and that the brand and its designer will continue to inspire customers and creators around the world.”
With the addition of Marc Jacobs, WHP Global’s global retail sales will exceed $9.5 billion, according to the press release.
In a separate statement, G-III said that after the deal closes, G-III and WHP Global will form a 50/50 joint venture that will retain ownership of Marc Jacobs’ intellectual property. G-III will then buy the Marc Jacobs operating business from the joint venture and enter into a long-term licensing agreement. This represents an investment of about $500 million for G-III. As a result, the deal is understood to be valued at around $1 billion.
“Marc Jacobs is one of the most influential names in fashion. This deal highlights our long-standing commitment to building a diverse portfolio of iconic, globally relevant brands,” said G-III chairman and CEO Morris Goldfarb in a statement.
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Marc Jacobs will continue in his role as founder and creative director, ensuring the brand’s vision, runway collections, and fashion shows remain consistent.
“When I met with Yehuda Shmidman [WHP Global chairman and CEO], it was very clear that his respect, admiration, appreciation, and love for the house we built was genuine and sincere (and by we, I mean all of us),” Jacobs posted on Instagram. “As I continue my journey as creative director, I want to express my gratitude to all the passionate, hardworking, devoted, creative, and talented teams at Marc Jacobs International… I am forever thankful to Bernard Arnault for his support, belief, and trust in me over the last 30 years. It has been an honor and a privilege to work alongside the Arnault family and LVMH.”
The Marc Jacobs brand was founded in 1984 by Jacobs and his business partner, Robert Duffy. In 1997, after Jacobs was named the first creative director of Louis Vuitton, LVMH bought a majority stake in the business.
Marc Jacobs with Rachel Sennott at the 2026 Met Gala.
Photo: Poupay Jutharat
Under LVMH’s ownership, the brand grew from a niche New York label into a globally recognized fashion house. Although LVMH doesn’t break out sales for its fashion and leather goods division, Marc Jacobs is one of the smaller brands in its portfolio. (LVMH usually mentions when a brand passes the €1 billion mark, and Marc Jacobs is rarely brought up in the group’s earnings calls.)
In 2001, Marc Jacobs launched a diffusion line called Marc by Marc Jacobs, which was discontinued in 2015. Then, in 2020, the company launched Heaven by Marc Jacobs, aimed at a younger audience and known for its Y2K-inspired style and popular collaborations.
Positioned in the accessible luxury segment, Marc Jacobs is more vulnerable to the ongoing slowdown in luxury spending than ultra-high-end brands like LVMH-owned Loro Piana, whose very wealthy customers continue to spend. During the first-quarter earnings call, CFO Cécile Cabanis noted that most brands in the fashion division performed worse than the division’s average decline of 2%, with the exceptions of Louis Vuitton, Loro Piana, and Rimowa.
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The Marc JacobsIn recent years, his collections have been the most trendsetting and fashion-forward in New York. But his Spring/Summer 2026 show felt more subdued. Nicole Phelps, global director of Vogue Business and Vogue Runway, wrote in her review: “After taking a break during the pandemic, Jacobs returned to the runway with a love for bold exaggeration, pushing silhouettes to extremes in the style of his design idols, like Vivienne Westwood and Rei Kawakubo. It was fashion as performance art, and it made for stunning photos, but no one was wearing these pieces to the office or on a first date. Tonight’s collection, though, really got the heart racing. ‘What a great show! Clothes we can actually wear,’ cheered Jacobs’s friend, designer Anna Sui.”
A fashion legend, Jacobs recently had a documentary made about him by his longtime friend Sofia Coppola. Marc by Sofia premiered at the Venice Film Festival and was released in the US this spring. He also made a cameo in The Devil Wears Prada 2.
Sofia Coppola and Marc Jacobs attend the Marc By Sofia red carpet during the Venice Film Festival in September.
Photo: Alessandro Levati/Getty Images
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) first reported in July 2025 that LVMH was close to a potential sale, with the brand valued at around $1 billion. WSJ mentioned WHP Global as one of the interested companies, along with Authentic Brands Group (which owns Reebok, Brooks Brothers, and Barneys New York) and Bluestar Alliance (which includes Off-White, Palm Angels, Scotch & Soda, and Catherine Malandrino).
This comes a decade after LVMH sold another American brand, Donna Karan, to G-III Apparel Group in a deal worth $650 million. More recently, the group sold Off-White to Bluestar Alliance in 2024, its stake in Stella McCartney in January 2025, and sold off duty-free operator DFS’s operations in Greater China in January 2026.
With the luxury sector still recovering, companies might see this as a good time to review their brand portfolios and focus on their biggest brands and most profitable products.
When asked during the group’s first-quarter earnings call whether LVMH plans to streamline its brand portfolio, especially in beauty and wine and spirits, group CFO Cécile Cabanis said: “Whenever we have a brand that’s underperforming, our first priority is to fix it. And if in some cases, like with DFS and Stella McCartney, we have a discussion with an operator where we believe it’s a good fit for the brand, then we make a deal.”
“I look forward to partnering with Yehuda to write our next bright chapter,” Jacobs wrote in his Instagram post.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs about LVMH selling Marc Jacobs to WHP Global written in a natural conversational tone with clear direct answers
BeginnerLevel Questions
1 Wait is Marc Jacobs being sold Who is buying it
Yes LVMH is selling the Marc Jacobs brand The buyer is WHP Global a company that specializes in owning and licensing out fashion brands
2 So will Marc Jacobs stores close down
No not necessarily WHP Global typically buys brands and then licenses the name to other companies to run the stores and make the products So the stores will likely stay open just under new management
3 Does this mean the quality of Marc Jacobs clothes will get worse
Not automatically WHP Globals business model is to find good partners to manufacture and sell the products The quality will depend on who they license the brand to not just the sale itself
4 Why is LVMH selling Marc Jacobs Isnt it a famous brand
Marc Jacobs is famous but it hasnt been a huge profit driver for LVMH in recent years LVMH is a giant luxury group and they often sell smaller or underperforming brands to focus on their biggest moneymakers
5 Will the Marc Jacobs name change
No The brand name logo and all the intellectual property are what WHP Global is buying The brand will still be called Marc Jacobs
Intermediate Advanced Questions
6 What exactly is WHP Global Ive never heard of them
WHP Global is a brand management company They dont design or manufacture products themselves Instead they buy wellknown brands and then license the name to other companies who pay WHP a royalty to use the name Think of them as a landlord for brands
7 What other brands does WHP Global own
They own a portfolio of recognizable names including Anne Klein Joseph Abboud Isaac Mizrahi and the Toys R Us brand
8 How much did LVMH sell Marc Jacobs for
The exact sale price was not publicly disclosed However analysts estimate the deal was worth several hundred