Marc by Marc Jacobs to merge into mainline

Marc Jacobs’ popular diffusion line, Marc by Marc Jacobs is to be merged into the main luxury line, according to reports.

The line, which has been helmed by Katie Hillier and Luella Bartley for the last three seasons, will be closing for good according to WWD, who are reporting that the merger will result in a single line with a "range of merchandise and price points currently divided between the two lines, from luxury to contemporary."

The move to close Marc Jacob’s diffusion line comes just two years after the designer left Louis Vuitton to concentrate on his own label, and is a surprising move considering when Hillier and Bartley showcased their debut collection, it was reported that the bulk of the company’s sales, 70 percent were from the Marc by Marc Jacobs line.

However, speculation of the merger of the two lines under one umbrella could be part of new changes coming to Marc Jacobs as part of parent company LVMH’s strategy in preparing the fashion house for its public offering.

Marc Jacobs declined to comment on the reports and considering the fashion label has just announced that it is looking for new faces on Instagram it looks like the changes won’t be implemented for a while.