Louis Vuitton Names Nicolas Ghesquière As Artistic Director

Louis Vuitton Names Nicolas Ghesquière Artistic Director

And the new Marc Jacobs is...

Nicolas Ghesquière. Women's Wear Daily reports that Ghesquière, formerly the creative director of Balenciaga, has been named the artistic director of Louis Vuitton. He will replace Marc Jacobs, who stepped down from his post in early October to focus on readying the Marc Jacobs brand for a possible IPO.

Jacobs' exit from Louis Vuitton was widely anticipated, as his contract with parent company LVMH was due to expire in 2014. With the Jacobs rumors came Ghesquière rumors, as industry insiders buzzed that he was the front-runner to take the top spot at Vuitton. Ghesquière has been without a fashion house since November 2012, after he was unceremoniously ousted from his creative director position at Balenciaga and replaced by Alexander Wang.

In early October, news leaked from website Luxury Society that Ghesquière had been officially named as Louis Vuitton creative director, a headline that sent excited shock waves across Twitter but prompted a quick denial from LVMH. Now the long-suspected news is official, as Ghesquière chooses to helm another French design house rather than strike out on his own with an eponymous label.

He tells WWD: "Louis Vuitton has always incarnated for me the symbol of ultimate luxury, innovation and exploration... I am very honored of the mission that I am entrusted with, and proud to join the history of this great maison. We share common values and a vision."

A look back at Jacobs' Louis Vuitton:

Kate Moss

Louis Vuitton Fall/Winter 2011

Want more? Be sure to check out HuffPost Style on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest and Instagram at @HuffPostStyle.

Close

HuffPost Shopping’s Best Finds

MORE IN LIFE