WHP isn’t alone in its mission to establish itself as a brand management group that doubles as a serious fashion player. Authentic, which acquired the intellectual property rights to Barneys in 2019, is reportedly considering reinstating the much-missed department store into its former Madison Avenue home. The group has also acquired Dockers, Reebok, Vince, and Eddie Bauer in the last five years. In addition to Off-White, Bluestone Alliance acquired Palm Angels in 2025.
The Marc Jacobs acquisition, however, puts WHP Global squarely ahead of its competitors when it comes to luxury fashion ambitions. “It’s a great opportunity for WHP Global and G-III to capture the heritage and integrity of Marc himself, and all he has done for American fashion and beyond,” says fashion consultant Julie Gilhart, who was SVP and fashion director of Barneys for 18 years. “Yes, his name is global, but his heart is in New York.”
The success of the deal will be contingent on WGP Global’s ability to work with G-III, to marry Marc Jacobs’s commercial potential with the creativity and cultural cachet that has kept the brand at the heart of New York — and global — fashion for so many years.
Bridge the gap
In recent years, there has been a disjuncture between Marc Jacobs’s accessories and licenses (Coty for fragrance; Safilo Group for eyewear), as well as the brand’s ready-to-wear collections, experts say. The Marc Jacobs runway show — always off-schedule, typically at the Park Avenue Armory or the New York Public Library — remains a coveted ticket each February and June (or July). But the brand’s recent runway collections are rarely seen out in the wild, except on the occasional celebrity, or at the Met Gala. (This year, the brand dressed guests including Serena Williams, Cardi B, and Rachel Sennott.) Jacobs’s most recent show, though, signaled a pivot back to the wearable: “What a great show! Clothes we can wear,” Nicole Phelps reported Jacobs’s friend, designer Anna Sui, exclaiming post-show.
Its accessories, meanwhile, are widely distributed, lower priced, and, for the most part, an aesthetic departure from the brand’s runway offering. Fragrance remains an easy (and popular) way in for consumers. Heaven by Marc Jacobs — also at a lower price — was an early hit with young shoppers, but the hype has since quietened down. And for this new era, there’s a new player in the mix. Marc Jacobs Beauty is officially returning after being credited at both the February runway show and across celebrities’ Met Gala looks, the designer confirmed in his Instagram post announcing the sale. To date, though, these categories have been disjointed.
“The top priority is to create a more cohesive brand and proposition,” Saunders says. “The Marc Jacobs brand is too fragmented in terms of the products it offers, its distribution, and its position in the market. That inhibits growth and it reduces impact,” he says. “WHP and G-III need to inject a lot more discipline and come up with an overarching brand vision.” The ready-to-wear should remain the focal point for creativity, which should filter down to the brand’s other areas of business to ensure brand alignment, he adds.
