Jacobs' successor at Vuitton has not been named but strong signs point to Nicolas Ghesquière as the front-runner.Jacobs is departing Vuitton after 16 years of transforming the leather-goods giant from a stuffy luggage house to a global fashion presence. He pioneered the concept of the fashion-art runway collaboration and bags he designed with Sprouse and Murakami became global phenomena.
At Vuitton, Jacobs joined the ranks of greats like Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel, John Galliano in his Dior days and the late Alexander McQueen, for staging the most extravagant shows in Paris. Past shows included an elaborate carousel; an iron-framed elevator; a Pop Art escalator; a full, functioning train and, last fall, an entire floor of a "hotel," its doors opening upon videos of hotel "guests" apparently unaware of the voyeuristic eyes of the audience.
