Marc by Marc Jacobs designers are starting their own line

When it was announced last month that Marc by Marc Jacobs was shutting down and would be absorbed into Jacobs’ primary luxury line there remained unanswered as to what would happen with creative director Katie Hillier and women’s design director Luella Bartley. Today the former MBMJ design duo announced that they are starting their own clothing line. Named Hillier Bartley the line will kick off in August with a fall 2015 collection of ready-to-wear, bags, and accessories.

“Hillier Bartley is a very personal project, which Katie and I have been working on for years,” says Bartley of the line in a release. “We have also looked at the women we admire, what we would want to wear, and the inspirations that have been close to us for ages. Its ultimate heroine lies somewhere between Ian McCulloch and Katharine Hepburn. It's about a woman our age, indie by heart, rakish and irreverent by nature, who is maturing into refinement and naturalness.”

According to WWD, the collection was presented to buyers in Paris in March and is said to be inspired by classic English references. The collection will use "velvet, silk, merino wool and shearling across tailoring, dresses and separates. The clothes will be made in UK while the leather bags crafted in Italy.