LVMH and Hermès are in the midst of an ugly legal battle over LVMH’s apparent relentless pursuit of Hermès and the potentially unlawful ways in which the luxury conglomerate came into 22.6% of the heritage brand.
While LVMH’s investments have been described as a gradual hostile takeover, Bernard Arnault now insists that is not the case. In fact, it wasn’t even on purpose!
As if being the head of one of the world’s largest luxury goods conglomerates wasn’t enough, LVMH‘s chairman and CEO Bernard Arnault can now add another fancy title to his already ample resume: Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.
The western world started tiring of designer logos back in the early 2000′s, about the time Carrie Bradshaw was packing away her Fendi baguette for good. But for the last decade, the Chinese–who recently surpassed Americans as the biggest consumers of luxury goods–have picked up the mantle of logo-mania. But that may be changing now as the Chinese luxury customers’ taste is becoming a bit more discerning.
Twenty-eight-year-old French couturier Maxime Simoens will debut his first ever ready-to-wear collection in Paris on March 3, thanks to a little financial boost from mega luxury conglomerate LVMH, who yesterday confirmed its investment in Simoens’s young label.
LVMH head honcho Bernard Arnault has recently named his son, Antoine Arnault, CEO of luxury menswear brand Berluti. The 35-year-old, whom you might also know as Natalia Vodianova’s boyfriend, recently spoke to the Guardian about his new role, growing up in the family business, moments of rebellion, and dealing with difficult designers–like former Dior designer John Galliano, for example.
France may not be a big fan of Bernard Arnault, but the UK certainly loves him.
According to WWD, the chairman and chief executive officer of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton has been approved by the Queen to receive an Order of the British Empire, which will give Arnault the honorary title of a Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.
Back in his homeland, however, things aren’t so rosy.
A French paper reported that Bernard Arnault may be moving to Belgium, and suggested he may be trying to avoid taxes. Arnault now wants to sue the paper. {HuffPost; WWD, subscription required}
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds pulled a fast one on all of us and got hitched last night, with a little help from Florence Welch, who performed at the ceremony. Xoxo… {SheFinds}
Carine, Kanye, and a herd of models classed it up for a black tie fete celebrating the launch of CR Fashion Book. Can we come next time? {Stylelist}
Pictures from Will and Kate’s secluded island honeymoon getaway were snapped by a super stealthy paparazzo, and now it’s plastered on the cover of an Australian tabloid. {Shine}
Antwerp-based designer Christian Wijnants has been named this year’s International Woolmark European prize winner, the same award that kick-started the careers of Yves Saint Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld. {Vogue UK}
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West stepped out in West Hollywood yesterday looking like total twinsies. {HuffPo Style}
Bernard Arnault’s LVMH empire continues to grow in leaps and bounds. Louis Vuitton is the biggest luxury brand out there now and LVMH’s apparent play for Hermés is the fashion biz drama that everyone is watching right now–now that the Dior designer succession has finally been resolved, that is. But where will LVMH end up? Read more →
Twenty-seven year old French designer Maxime Simoens may not be going to Dior anytime soon, but LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault may still be courting him for something. WWD‘s Miles Socha is reporting that Arnault is investing in Simoens’ eponymous label, which is only two years old. Quite a departure from Arnault’s recent targets like Bulgari and Hermès.
We’re beginning to see why Dior is in no rush to appoint a new creative director. The company continues to see sales increase (a lot) in the wake of John Galliano’s firing.
Every year Forbes puts out a list of the world’s wealthiest billionaires to make us all realize just how poor we really are.
This year’s list is topped by Carlos Slim Helu & family, followed closely by Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. But who in the fashion and retail industry made the cut? Some of the rankings may surprise you–Zara‘s founder and part-owner Amancio Ortega is the world’s fifth richest man across all industries, outpacing H&M’s Stefan Persson by over $10 billion, and luxury label magnates like Miuccia Prada, Giorgio Armani and Chanel’s Alain & Gerard Wertheimer by over $20 billion. (See what we mean about feeling poorer already?)
While some of the rankings are no surprise at all–for the second year in a row LVMH’s Bernard Arnault is the richest man in the fashion industry with a net worth of $41 billion, making him the fourth richest man in the world, and the #1 richest guy in Europe.
Read on for the full list of the 25 richest billionaires in the fashion and retail industry:
