Marc Jacobs (pictured in 1997) is moving on from Louis Vuitton after 16 years.
The Fashionable Truth says this is exactly what Vuitton needs to continue its revival and re-branding as a style brand.
New blood is everything and nobody knows that better than Bernard Arnault. One year ago the Truth was asked by the LV people in Paris what they should do to counter the perception that the brand had become uncool. The Truth replied: “Abandon all logo products for two years”.
Somebody must have been listening because Louis Vuitton has done much to move beyond a logo-centred product line. But Arnault needed go deeper and that’s why the house needed a new design team. Marc Jacobs has made Arnault a great deal of money from Louis Vuitton’s fashion products but his days were numbered from the moment his attempt to take over at Dior came to nothing.
And now what? The logo was never the essential brand DNA at LV.
It’s ironic that the world’s most counterfeited label was invented by Georges Vuitton to combat those who wanted to copy his luggage – why would they do that? Because the luggage had an exceptional reputation for craftsmanship. And that’s the root that the new LV creative director will have to water if the brand is going to duplicate the growth of the Jacobs years for the next decade.
It’s back to making the most beautiful leather goods in the world. Back to style, not fashion.
回归风尚
Marc Jacobs （上图为1997年的他）终于在效忠十六年后离开了路易威登。《时尚真理》认为，这正是路易威登品牌复兴和重新定位的绝佳契机。新鲜血液对一个风尚品牌而言至关重要，而老板 Bernard Arnault 对此再清楚不过了。一年前在巴黎，路易威登的人曾问我，面对“路易威登已经不怎么有型了”的评价，他们该采取什么对策。我说，“两年之内不要再出那些布满LV标志的产品了。”这话一定是有人听的，因为他们后来确实这样做了。可是 Arnault 需要更深刻的改变，这也是品牌需要一个全新设计团队的原因。Jacobs 将路易威登打造成时尚产品，为其畅销作出了杰出贡献，不过，自打他入主迪奥的筹谋化为泡影之后，其在路易威登的时间也在倒数了。所以重点是什么呢？路易威登的品牌核心价值从来都不包括LV标志。当初 Georges Vuitton 设计这标志，是为了防止别人抄袭仿冒；讽刺的是，如今路易威登是全世界仿冒品最多的品牌。其实，路易威登被仿冒，是因为她在质量和手工艺方面具有世所罕匹的声誉。这也是新任路易威登创意总监所需要牢牢记住的品牌精髓，只有对其秉持传承，该品牌才能在下一个十年之中再次创造 Jacobs 时代的销量神话。归根究底，这毕竟是一个制造全世界最精致皮革手袋的品牌。她应该回归对永恒风尚的坚持，而非转瞬即逝的时尚。
