Luella Bartley appointed design director at Marc by Marc Jacobs

Looks like you can’t have it all. Or that’s the message that’s coming across with the recent staff shift over at Marc Jacobs. Jacobs, who for the past 13 years has been acting as creative and design director for Marc Jacobs, Marc by Marc Jacobs and as artistic director at Louis Vuitton, is finally lightening his load. The designer is handing over the torch for his Marc by Marc Jacobs label to Luella Bartley and Katie Hillier.

Bartley, whose own label Luella folded four years ago after a major investor pulled out unexpectedly, has been greatly missed on the fashion circuit. The designer, who was once thought to be on her way to becoming the next big thing in British fashion, is ready for a come back and what better place to start. The situation is win-win for both Bartley and Marc Jacobs International, who’s own CEO Robert Duffy has recently commented on the increasing staleness of the diffusion line. Bartley’s old label was a favourite to hip-young-things like Alexa Chung, Sienna Miller and Chloë Sevigny. As a designer she’s been praised for her fun and quirky aesthetic, and is sure to breath some je ne sais quoi back into the Marc by Marc Jacobs brand.

Bartley was chosen as design director by the newly appointed creative director Katie Hillier, who was given the freedom to staff the new Marc by Marc Jacobs team however she wanted. This is not the first time Hillier has worked with her new fashion family. The accessories designer use to design for Bartley’s ready-to-wear collections for Luella, and has also been doing freelance design for Marc by Marc Jacobs for over 10 years. If that’s not impressive enough, add collaborations with Loewe, Salvatore Ferragamo, Stella McCartney and Victoria Beckham. Oh, and a very successful solo line in between. Talk about dream jobs.

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