Emily George named Marc Jacobs global president after LVMH sale

Emily George has been named global president of the American fashion house Marc Jacobs, taking charge of the brand's worldwide business from November 1, 2026, according to an announcement reported on October 22, 2026. She succeeds chief executive Eric Marechalle, who leaves after nine years. The appointment is the first major leadership change since LVMH sold Marc Jacobs to a joint venture of G-III Apparel Group and the brand-management firm WHP Global, a deal that closed on September 1, 2026.

Fashion is often described through its designers, but the people who run the business side decide whether a label grows, shrinks or disappears. Emily George's appointment puts a woman at the top of the commercial operation of one of America's best-known designer brands at a moment of real change for it. After nearly three decades inside LVMH, the world's largest luxury group, Marc Jacobs now belongs to two American companies whose strengths are licensing and large-scale apparel distribution rather than luxury alone.

Her career path is a useful example for anyone hoping to build a career in fashion management. She spent close to twenty years at Marc Jacobs, learning the brand from the inside, then took a senior international role at Balmain, where she was responsible for the Americas and for wholesale worldwide. Wholesale, selling a brand's products through department stores and other retailers, is one of the hardest and most data-driven parts of the fashion business. Returning to Marc Jacobs first as head of direct-to-consumer in North America and now as global president, she moved up within weeks of rejoining.

The task ahead is significant. The new owners have split the work: WHP Global will look after licensing, the deals that allow other companies to make and sell products such as fragrances, eyewear or accessories under the Marc Jacobs name, while G-III runs the shops, wholesale and e-commerce. The planned relaunch of Marc by Marc Jacobs, a more affordable diffusion line that was closed more than a decade ago, suggests the owners want to reach younger and more price-conscious shoppers alongside the main collection. Balancing that wider reach with the creative identity that Marc Jacobs, who remains creative director, has built over many years will be her central challenge.

For the Indian fashion industry, the deal reflects a global trend worth watching: big luxury groups are concentrating on their largest labels, and smaller designer brands are being bought by companies that specialise in licensing and wide distribution. Growing Indian designer labels face the same basic question of how to expand without losing their creative identity.

Marc Jacobs: what has changed in 2026 Item | Before | After Owner | LVMH (since 1997) | WHP Global and G-III joint venture Business head | CEO Eric Marechalle | Global president Emily George (from November 1) Creative director | Marc Jacobs | Marc Jacobs (unchanged)

Short-term: George takes over the global business on November 1 as the new owners integrate the brand into G-III's operations and prepare the Marc by Marc Jacobs relaunch.

Long-term: Her success will be judged on whether Marc Jacobs can grow its sales and licensing income under its new owners while keeping its standing as a designer label.

Who is affected: Marc Jacobs employees and retail partners worldwide; G-III and WHP Global, which paid hundreds of millions of dollars for the brand; shoppers who buy its bags, clothing and fragrances; and women in fashion management, for whom the appointment is a high-profile example of a business-side path to the top.

Questions and Answers