Fashion designer Marc Jacobs is leaving Louis Vuitton to focus on a plan for an eventual public offering of the Marc Jacobs brand.
Louis Vuitton and Jacobs confirmed the news Wednesday after months of speculation. Jacobs began IPO preparation at the Louvre in Paris Wednesday morning. The offering should occur in the next three years.
Jacobs is leaving Louis Vuitton after a 16-year tenure during which he orchestrated the transformation of the brand from a luggage maker to an international fashion leader.