LVMH will sell Marc Jacobs to WHP Global, the New York-based brand management firm behind Vera Wang, Rag & Bone, G-Star, Joe’s, and Express. The companies announced the transaction, marking a major shift for the American fashion house after three decades under LVMH. G-III Apparel Group, owner of Donna Karan, will join WHP Global in the ownership structure.
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The deal places Marc Jacobs inside a growing portfolio built around recognizable fashion names with broad retail reach. G-III said it will form a 50/50 joint venture with WHP Global after the transaction closes. That joint venture will hold the Marc Jacobs intellectual property, while G-III will acquire the operating business and enter a long-term licensing agreement.
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Bernard Arnault, chair and CEO of LVMH, thanked Marc Jacobs for his work with the group and described him as a designer with rare creativity and a distinct vision. Morris Goldfarb, chair and CEO of G-III, called Marc Jacobs one of fashion’s most influential names and framed the transaction as part of G-III’s strategy to build a wider portfolio of globally relevant brands.
Marc Jacobs will remain founder and creative director, keeping control over the brand’s creative direction, runway collections, and shows. Jacobs addressed the sale on Instagram, writing that his meeting with WHP Global chair and CEO Yehuda Shmidman made him feel the new owner understood the house he and his teams built. He also thanked Bernard Arnault and LVMH for their support over the last 30 years and wrote, “I look forward to partnering with Yehuda to write our next bright chapter.”
Marc Jacobs and Robert Duffy founded the brand in 1984. LVMH acquired a majority stake in the company in 1997, the same year Jacobs became the first creative director of Louis Vuitton. Under LVMH, Marc Jacobs grew from a niche New York label into an internationally recognized fashion house. The brand also launched Marc by Marc Jacobs in 2001, then discontinued the line in 2015. In 2020, the company introduced Heaven by Marc Jacobs, a younger line known for Y2K references and high-profile collaborations.
LVMH has already moved away from several assets in recent years. The group sold Donna Karan to G-III in 2016, Off-White to Bluestar Alliance in 2024, its stake in Stella McCartney in January 2025, and DFS operations in Greater China in January 2026. Cabanis said LVMH first works to fix underperforming brands, then considers a sale when another operator offers the right place for a brand to land.
