Biography and net worth of Bernard Arnault, one of the richest men in the world and head of the LVMH giant that owns brands such as Louis Vuitton, Moët & Chandon, and Bulgari.
Among the richest men in the world in 2025 is still Bernard Arnault, the famous French luxury goods magnate—who has previously even been linked with a potential purchase of AC Milan—who has long topped this special ranking. But, unlike last year, the Frenchman is no longer the richest of the richest.
The leader of the LVMH giant has ceded the top spot to Elon Musk, who has seen his wealth grow thanks to the success of SpaceX, Tesla, and xAI. According to the annual Forbes 2025 ranking, Musk leads the list with a net worth of more than $400 billion, followed by Bezos and Zuckerberg. Arnault, with $168 billion, is in fifth place, his lowest ranking since 2017, due to a decline in the value of his luxury empire’s stock. But according to updated data, his current net worth has fallen even further.
Furthermore, the Arnault family lost its title as the richest family in France this year, surpassed by the giant Hermès. In short, these are not easy days for the owner of Louis Vuitton, among others, but it’s fair to say that he’s not doing badly, at least in the eyes of ordinary taxpayers.
But who is Bernard Arnault, really and how did he become the richest man in the world? Let’s take a look at the biography and private life of the French tycoon.
Who is Bernard Arnault: the biography of the French millionaire
Bernard Arnault was born on March 5, 1949, in Roubaix, France, where he attended the local high school and then continued his studies at the Ecole Polytechnique.
Arnault has been married twice. From 1973 to 1990, he was married to Anne Dewavrin, mother of two of his five children: Delphine and Antoine. In 1991, he married Hélène Mercier-Arnault, his current wife, an excellent pianist with whom he had Rimowa, Frédéric, and Jean. He is teaching his children his trade, placing them in control of the group and then one day handing them over the entire succession.
Over time, he has befriended politicians from France and abroad, from Sarkozy, whose wedding he served as best man, to Tony Blair, former British Prime Minister.
He was named Grand Officier of the Legion of Honor for his services to the French nation.
Arnault is a Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters, being a great and important art collector. In 2006, he created one of the most important art foundations of the moment: the Louis Vuitton Foundation, which achieved museum recognition in 2014.
He has also made numerous donations to the art world and made philanthropic commitments to Save the Children, the Paris Hospital Foundation, and the Princess Grace of Monaco Foundation.
A curious fact? During the coronavirus emergency, he converted three of his perfume factories to produce hand sanitizer, which was then distributed free of charge to the healthcare system.
Arnault, entrepreneur and owner of Louis Vuitton: the climb to billions
But how did he create this veritable empire? In 1971, he began working as an engineer in the family-run construction company, Ferret-Savinel. Bernard convinced his father to sell the business in order to convert it into a real estate development company, Férinel, thus engaging in the tourist apartment business and demonstrating great insight and initiative from an early age.
In 1978, Bernard succeeded his father as president of Férinel, but his rise was halted when the French Socialists took power under Mitterrand in 1981. This forced Arnault and his family to move to the United States.
Even overseas, Bernard managed to maintain and grow his capital: he built condominiums in Palm Beach, Florida, until he created a US subsidiary of his company. After just two years, in 1983, as the French Socialists shifted to a more conservative policy, Arnault decided to return to his beloved France.
As mentioned, Arnault’s rise was closely tied to his homeland. Indeed, upon returning to France, Bernard managed to acquire Boussac Saint-Frères, a textile company that had gone bankrupt and was the source of heated political conflict.
To acquire the group, Arnault invested $15 million, risking much of the wealth he had accumulated over the years. It was through this operation that he met Antoine Bernheim, who would become his mentor, teaching him the unscrupulous holding company system.
Bernheim managed to secure the remaining $80 million needed to acquire the Boussac group. Once in control of the struggling group, Arnault began the spin-off of all its assets. He saved almost nothing, attracting much protest and discontent, and was forced to repay part of the €51.5 million he had benefited from, under an injunction from the Brussels Commission.
But these setbacks didn’t stop Bernard Arnault: the entrepreneur had only one goal: to own the Christian Dior brand. Astute and determined, he succeeded in 1985, becoming CEO of the iconic luxury and fashion brand.
From that moment on, his path was one of constant ascent. Armed with ample liquidity, an intuitive business acumen, and trained by Bernheim in the holding system, which allowed him to control companies without actually running them, he became famous for his stock market raids, which enabled him to acquire brands and top managers, and which allowed him to make a difference in shareholder disputes.
In 1988 the French magnate took control of LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennesy), becoming its largest shareholder, and the following year its majority shareholder, before being elected Chairman and CEO.
Arnault deserves credit for believing in and building LVMH into a gigantic luxury group for several segments: leather goods and clothing houses, brought under Louis Vuitton, Moët & Chandon champagne, and Hennesy cognac.
LVMH’s rise to power continued throughout the 1990s and into the 2000s, strengthening the group’s position with corporate acquisitions, starting with Guerlain perfumes (1994), and continuing with the acquisition of Loewe (1996), Marc Jacobs (1997), Sephora (1997), and Thomas Pink (1999).
LVMH now controls more than sixty brands: the aforementioned Moët & Chandon, Dom Perignon, Veuve Clicquot, Ruinart, Krug, Ardbeg and Glenmorangie whiskies, Belvedere vodka, as well as the Italian brands Emilio Pucci, Bulgari, Fendi, Loro Piana, and Cova.
Bernard Arnault’s updated net worth
And now we come to his current net worth, which, as mentioned, is declining, especially in 2025. Bernard Arnault, as chairman and CEO of the LVMH group, is currently the seventh richest person in the world, with a net worth estimated by Forbes at approximately $146-147 billion. This still makes him the richest man in Europe, but he’s been overtaken in the overall ranking by Jensen Huang (head of NVDIA) and Larry Page (Google) compared to just six months ago. In fact, according to the Forbes ranking at the beginning of the year, the net worth of the Louis Vuitton owner amounted to €178 billion, which later dropped to €168 billion and approximately €147 billion today.
His fortune remains primarily tied to the LVMH holding company, which controls over 75 luxury brands, including Louis Vuitton, Dior, Fendi, and Moët & Chandon. In 2023, LVMH posted record revenues of €86.2 billion, with net income of €22.8 billion, up 8% from the previous year. But recently, the trend seems to have changed.
In fact, despite these positive results (and a significant presence in the publishing world), Arnault saw a decline in his wealth in 2025, primarily due to the decline in LVMH shares, which experienced a slowdown in growth.
Original article published on Money.it Italy. Original title: Chi è e quanto guadagna Bernard Arnault, il proprietario di Louis Vuitton
