Why Diffusion Beauty Brands Rarely Take Off

In 2001, when Marc Jacobs introduced diffusion line Marc by Marc Jacobs, I became fixated on an olive green, twill mini skirt with oversized buttons that cost just under $200. It was too expensive for an unemployed high school junior, but still a fraction of the cost for an item from Jacobs’ main collection, something I could only visit at Barneys New York, like a museum exhibit. After making a scene at Intermix, my mother relented; I owned my first designer diffusion piece. In college, I moved on to Dolce & Gabbana’s D&G, pairing a fake tan with a skintight, black satin dress and a hot pink patent leather clutch. Every year, I shopped D&G’s winter sale at its now-shuttered West Broadway store.

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