Marc Jacobs Will Price 70% of Its Handbags Under $500

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Marc Jacobs's diffusion line Marc by Marc Jacobs may no longer exist, but the brand is still going to make handbags at a reasonable pricepoint. A lot of reasonably-priced handbags actually: WWD reports that 70% of the brand’s spring accessories will be priced under $500, and that will be true of future collections as well.

"Accessories are our biggest category without question – they are a top priority from a business perspective," Marc Jacobs CEO Sebastian Suhl told WWD. He said that in an ideal world, leather goods will account for 70% of Marc Jacob's overall sales, with footwear representing 15% .

This focus on handbags makes sense if the company wants to go public. "These days, you can't make money selling clothes. The big business has to be in accessories," fashion journalist and author Teri Agins told Racked in September 2015 when asked about the future of the Marc Jacobs brand.

Marc Jacobs will continue to make $5,000 bags in exotic leathers, however. These bags will sit next to $295 camera bags and $490 black leather shoulder bags.

"Marc Jacobs is the first designer fashion house that offers a significant portion of product at democratic prices," Suhl told WWD. "We are definitely doing a designer story in terms of positioning and how we present ourselves in department stores."