How Did The Boss Of LVMH Build His Empire? A Chat With A Taxi Driver Changed His Life
Fashion tycoon Bernard Arnault is a brilliant businessman, the chairman of the board of the French conglomerate LVMH - the world's largest luxury goods company.
The Fashion mogul, now 73 years old, has a huge personal fortune of over 150 million dollars (estimated in 2022), being one of the richest men in the whole world.
His brands, which are incorporated into the Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy group, expanded fantastically during the years.
The LVMH group only includes luxury brands such as Fendi, Christian Dior, Givenchy, Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Stella McCartney, Loewe, Loro Piana, Kenzo, Celine, Fenty, Princess Yachts, TAG Heuer, and Bulgari.
But how did the enigmatic Bernard Arnault begin his career, and how did he build the fashion empire he so successfully runs today?
His interest in the industrial world was to change when he had a conversation with a taxi driver in New York City who facilitated the building of the LVMH empire.
Bernard Arnault asked the cabbie if he knew who the president of France was at the time, but the driver replied in the negative, then added, "I've never heard of Georges Pompidou in my life, but I know what Christian Dior is!"
At age 25, Bernard Arnault took over the reins of the family business from his father. After François Mitterrand became president of France, the businessman moved to the United States and tried to start a construction business. But his dream was more ambitious than that. He wanted a business with French roots and international reach. His plan worked, he attained enormous success!
The Fashion mogul, now 73 years old, has a huge personal fortune of over 150 million dollars (estimated in 2022), being one of the richest men in the whole world.
His brands, which are incorporated into the Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy group, expanded fantastically during the years.
The LVMH group only includes luxury brands such as Fendi, Christian Dior, Givenchy, Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Stella McCartney, Loewe, Loro Piana, Kenzo, Celine, Fenty, Princess Yachts, TAG Heuer, and Bulgari.
But how did the enigmatic Bernard Arnault begin his career, and how did he build the fashion empire he so successfully runs today?
Discovering The Man Behind LVMH
Bernard Arnault's first passion in life was music, but he didn't have the talent to become a pianist, which is why he graduated with a degree in engineering in 1971 and then started working at his father's construction company in Roubaix, France.His interest in the industrial world was to change when he had a conversation with a taxi driver in New York City who facilitated the building of the LVMH empire.
Bernard Arnault asked the cabbie if he knew who the president of France was at the time, but the driver replied in the negative, then added, "I've never heard of Georges Pompidou in my life, but I know what Christian Dior is!"
At age 25, Bernard Arnault took over the reins of the family business from his father. After François Mitterrand became president of France, the businessman moved to the United States and tried to start a construction business. But his dream was more ambitious than that. He wanted a business with French roots and international reach. His plan worked, he attained enormous success!
