MANILA, Philippines - Marc Jacobs’ departure as artistic director of Louis Vuitton, and the naming of former Balenciaga designer Nicholas Ghesquière as his successor, has been the biggest fashion upheaval of 2013.
Steering the fashion direction of LV from 1997 to 2013, Jacobs — who is considered one of the most influential people in the industry — has been lauded for his collaborations with artists like Stephen Sprouse and Takashi Murakami, and recently, Richard Prince and rapper Kanye West.
For his final collection, Jacobs updated the iconic Noe bag, famously designed by Gaston-Louis Vuitton in 1932 in response to a request from a champagne producer for an elegant way of carrying five bottles of fizz. He dedicates this design to the women who inspire him: Catherine Deneuve, Sofia Coppola, Gisele Bundchen, Fan Bingbing, Caroline de Maigret and Edie Campbell who will appear in LV's spring-summer 2014 advertising campaign with a series of portraits by Steven Meisel.The campaign, consisting of eight single-page portraits, will break in the February 2014 issues of magazines worldwide.
The redesigned Noe bag by Jacobs has several variations, embroidered with feathers, crystals, alligator or Sprouse sequins, in supple calfskin or trimmed with black leather in Monogram canvas.
Jacobs’ successor Ghesquière is acclaimed as an expert in interpreting a heritage brand. His 15 years at Balenciaga was hailed as a phenomenal success, and he has been dubbed as the most intriguing and original designer of his generation. The 42-year-old designer is expected to bring a creative vision to LV’s women’s collection.
In the Philippines, Louis Vuitton has a store in Greenbelt 4 with telephone 756-0637.