Designer fashion brand Marc Jacobs and Bedrock Manufacturing, parent company of Shinola and heritage accessories brand Filson, have announced an agreement to design and produce a collection of Marc Jacobs–branded watches.
A statement from Bedrock on the collaboration said the new collection of watches will launch in October 2019.
“Everyone at Bedrock is excited to be part of the next evolution of Marc Jacobs watches,” Tom Kartsotis, founder of Bedrock Manufacturing, said in a statement. “Marc’s legacy in watches is remarkable, and the folks behind the brand are a joy to work with. We look forward to a great partnership with the brand.”
Eric Marechalle, CEO of Marc Jacobs International, added, “We are excited to partner with a company that shares our commitment to detail and quality. Through Marc’s unique design lens and Bedrock’s well-established expertise in craftsmanship, we look forward to a new chapter of Marc Jacobs watches.”
Details have not yet been released on price or collection aesthetics, or if the watches will include connected or hybrid models (our guess is no, considering Bedrock’s expertise in analog watchmaking).
Marc Jacobs terminated its longtime agreement with Fossil Group—which produced Marc Jacobs smartwatches for several years—last last year, news Fossil disclosed in an earnings call in November. The brand’s website is currently selling several styles of its Fossil-made hybrid smartwatches.
It will be interesting to see what demographic this new collaboration will target. Marc Jacobs’ connected line always felt very young, so we’re wondering if the Bedrock line will skew more sophisticated.
Top: Marc Jacobs and a model behind the scenes at his spring 2019 runway presentation (all photos courtesy of Marc Jacobs)
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