Marc Jacobs creative contemporary director John Targon is out

By

Benjamin Fitzgerald

Published
Apr 19, 2018

After taking the design helm just three months prior, John Targon has left his post as creative contemporary director at Marc Jacobs International.

Following swirling US media reports, Targon - the Baja East label co-founder - is parting ways with Marc Jacobs, as confirmed by a spokesperson from LVMH Group, owner of the New York brand.

"John Targon is a talented designer and we appreciate the work he has done here," LVMH Group told American media outlets on Wednesday evening.

"Ultimately working together did not make sense for the brand and we wish him the best.”

Both Targon and Marc Jacobs himself, could not be reached for comment.

​Targon's recruitment took place on February 2, under the guide of Marc Jacobs CEO, Eric Marechalle. The designer was given the title of creative contemporary director, a role ripe for building out the label’s lower-priced goods.

Targon co-founded Baja East, known for its sporty, off-duty styles, with Scott Studenberg. He also previously worked as the director of wholesale for menswear at Burberry, following stints at Céline and Prada.

Marc Jacobs has been facing sales troubles since 2015, when the parent company decided to unify the brand's previously successful Marc by Marc Jacobs diffusion line with the main line. In a reboot, the brand hired its current CEO, Marechalle from Kenzo last July, in a bid to restructure the brand and target a younger market.

More recently, Marc Jacobs dropped its men’s line in 2017, severing its license agreement with Staff International SpA at the conclusion of the autumn 2017 collection.

Meanwhile, a bevy of boutique closures were announced, with the brand’s last London store in Mayfair shuttering in January with other European locations to follow. Management has said it is part of a larger restructuring of the brand and reigning in the retail space.

While LVMH doesn’t provide revenue figures for its individual brands, the group has provided repeated indicators of Marc Jacob’s struggles. But for now, the French luxury conglomerate seems to be absorbing the brand's financial weight.

For the first quarter 2018, LVMH Group revenues across all sectors, including perfume and watches, reached 10.85 billion euros ($13.4 billion), up 13 percent from a year earlier on a like-for-like basis, which strips out currency swings and sales and acquisitions.

Analysts had expected growth of closer to 9 percent.