Marc Jacobs Continues Graffiti Duel With Kidult

As you may recall, vandal/graffiti artist Kidult tagged Marc Jacobs's Soho store with the word "ART" last May. The designer retaliated by photographing the damage, printing the image on a line of T-shirts, and then selling them for $686. Clearly annoyed that his statement about luxury consumerism had been subverted, Kidult tweeted menacingly, "@MarcJacobsIntl ... ??? LET'S PLAY, but we don't play the same rules!"

That all happened a year ago, but the beef continues. Yesterday, Kidult spray-painted Marc Jacobs's Paris store with the T-shirt price, "686," surrounded by dollar signs. As expected, the fashion house fired back last night with a photo of their Paris employees — and Marc Jacobs president Robert Duffy — wearing white hats printed with the tag (some wore the "ART" shirts, too). The caption: "Celebrating @therealkidult in #Paris tonight. Our hats off to you." Kidult has yet to respond, but again, the odds seem stacked against him.

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Coach Taps Reed Krakoff’s Successor, Ending Marc Jacobs Rumors

Two months after Reed Krakoff announced that he was leaving Coach to focus on his eponymous brand, his successor has been announced: It's Stuart Vevers, former creative director of Loewe, a Spanish-based fashion house owned by LVMH, WWD reports. The appointment follows some rather far-fetched speculations about who might take the spot, including Mulberry's newly jobless Emma Hill, Chloé’s Clare Waight Keller, Derek Lam, Phillip Lim, Kate Spade's Deborah Lloyd, and even Marc Jacobs. Hey, these names made Coach look good! It's surprising the brand didn't let the rumors percolate for longer.

Krakoff's contract with Coach will expire in June 2014, but he's previously said he may exit earlier if his successor is ready. Vevers's exact start date hasn't been decided yet, per WWD, but the brand probably wants him in soon. Remember, they're also in the midst of transitioning another major executive role: Longtime CEO Lew Frankfort will retire in January, when the company's current president, Victor Luis, will take over his job (Frankfort will stay on as Coach's executive chairman). They've got plenty of time to iron things out, sure, but these are very large moving parts to coordinate.

So, who is this Stuart Vevers? He's helmed Loewe for five years and was previously the creative director of Mulberry from 2005 to 2008 (so there's at least some Emma Hill connection). Earlier in his career, he cut his teeth at Louis Vuitton, Givenchy, Bottega Veneta, and Calvin Klein — all brands with thriving accessories lines, as well as notable ready-to-wear collections. Loewe (pronounced lo-way-vay, not like the home-improvement store) is famous in Europe and Asia for their very expensive Amazona bags, but it's not widely known in the U.S. because they only broke into the New York market three years ago. Perhaps Vevers's appointment signals a shift to a more Europe- and Asia-friendly sensibility at Coach. 

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Marc Jacobs Called Cara Delevingne a Dwarf

Cara Delevingne, model of many faces, catapulted into stardom during September's fashion weeks — even reaching a seemingly impenetrable point where she was comfortable enough to tell glossies that she was getting a bit tired of modeling. She was crowned London's top model for her catwalk appearances at their fall fashion week; and in New York and Paris, walked for Marc Jacobs at his own label and Louis Vuitton. But before she cemented her position as the fashion world's darling, Jacobs —  the fashion designer with a penchant for wearing pajamas in public —  was allegedly not a fan of Delevingne. Or, at the very least, of her five-foot-nine height. According to an interview with the Sunday Times Style, Love editor Katie Grand, who worked closely with the designer for his show castings, shared, "I was trying to get her in the show, but it was the show in which everyone was very tall and very long ... I remember Marc looking at me and saying, 'Why is that dwarf in here?' and me being devastated." Jacobs then proceeded to drop Delevingne from his autumn/winter 2012–2013 show. But now they're BFFs (or at least friendly enough for cheek kisses)! And he even got Cara to pose nude for his T-shirt line.

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Marc Jacobs Also in the Running for Coach Job

Marc Jacobs seems poised for some kind of big announcement, but no one knows what it is yet. Last week, there was a shakeup at Marc by Marc Jacobs when he replaced himself with British designers Katie Hillier and Luella Bartley as creative director and design director, respectively. Now there's speculation that he and his business partner, Robert Duffy, might be considering an IPO. Another, more interesting possibility: WWD reports that Jacobs is being considered for Reed Krakoff's soon-to-open job at Coach. This would pose some complications with Jacobs's contract with Louis Vuitton, which expires at the end of 2013; he's reportedly been in discussions with LVMH about his contract's renewal since last year.

At first blush, it seems unlikely that Jacobs would leave Vuitton for Coach. His sixteen-year tenure at the French fashion house has been extremely successful, earning big profits for the brand. He was aggressively courted for the Dior job in late 2011 and, in the end, stayed put. It seems LVMH will do a lot to keep him.

So if not him, who else is in the running? According to WWD, other possible Krakoff successors include former Balenciaga designer Nicolas Ghesquière, Chloé’s Clare Waight Keller, Derek Lam, Phillip Lim, Kate Spade's Deborah Lloyd, and Mulberry's newly jobless Emma Hill. And although Krakoff doesn't officially step down until June 2014, he could leave sooner if Coach finds a good replacement. Let the search party begin.

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