Biography
The recognized beauty Natalia Vodianova has conquered more than one stage, more than one man's heart and at least one millionaire. The supermodel’s current lover, the son of the richest man in Europe, bluntly stated in an interview about the beginning of their relationship:
“She doesn’t even remember this meeting. And my jaw dropped when I saw her. She is surrounded by a special aura.”
Antoine Arnault
Fashion brought the Russian Cinderella wild popularity, record amounts of income and true female happiness.
Vodianova shares photo with Arnault
On her Instagram page, Natalia Vodianova shares family photos and often poses with her lover. Among other things, the model often talks about the peculiarities of family life.
Despite her busy schedule, Vodianova does most of the household chores on her own. She cooks for her children and husband herself, goes grocery shopping and decides what to buy for the house. The model said that for her future husband, cooking is a real nightmare, but at the same time, he is happy to help her with her younger children.
The model looks happy and shares romantic photos, quotes and videos on her page. It is possible that the first photos from the wedding, which will take place on a huge scale, will appear there.
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Childhood and youth
Antoine Arnault was born on the 4th day of summer 1977 in the French city of Roubaix. At an early age, however, he had to be left for some time - clouds were gathering over the business of his father, the future creator of a luxury empire. And it was decided to move to America. At a local school, along with his native language, the boy studied the national language and spoke it easily after six months; he was fond of sports, preferring football, swimming and cycling. By their own admission, his parents were able to give and ensure him an ideal childhood.
The owner of the beauty empire Antoine Arnault
When the boy was 9 years old, serious changes occurred in the family - returning back to France and purchasing Agache-Willot along with the attached Christian Dior fashion house. In due time, to continue my education, the choice fell on prestigious business schools, one of which is located in Canada. Upon graduation, he began helping the head of the family in strengthening LVMH.
Antoine has an older sister, Delphine, who is also involved in the company's affairs, and three brothers - Frédéric, Jean and Alexandre from Bernard Arnault's second marriage to pianist Hélène Mercier, who is deservedly considered by the media to be a notable musician in the world.
Mr. Arnault's acquisitions: there are no winners
Bernard Arnault does not create new brands - he buys them and gives them new life, for which he received the nicknames “Lord of Logos” and “Lord of Brands.” However, at the same time, he does not disdain methods - “all means are fair in war” - therefore he is also known as a “corporate raider” and a “wolf in cashmere” (the equivalent of our “wolf in a sheep’s coat”).
Arno is adept at ousting company founders and/or taking advantage of disagreements between business partners. The founder of the Swiss luxury goods company Richemont, Johann Rupert, said of his competitor: “I can’t be as harsh, but he’s a good financier and he’s been successful, so you have to give him credit.” Bestselling author of Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster Dana Thomas Fr.
Arnault is attracted by the spirit of corporate competition. “I remember people telling me that it was not worth combining so many brands, and that was the success,” says the billionaire. “We (LVMH) are still small. We’re just getting started,” another quote from him.
Let's look at some of the "best" takeovers of Bernard Arnault:
The very first: Christian Dior
In 1984, having returned from the USA to France, Bernard Arnault was looking for where to invest. At this time, the textile conglomerate Boussac, which was on the verge of bankruptcy, was put up for sale. What attracted the 35-year-old businessman to him? Boussac, whose shareholders were private individuals and the French government, owned one of the country's treasures - the Christian Dior brand. “At that moment I felt that I was standing on the threshold of something great,” admits the French businessman.
And although Bernard did not understand at all the direction he wanted to buy (his father, at his request, got hold of books on textile production), he managed to come to an agreement with the government (promising not to cut jobs) and with the venture capital company Lazard Frères (which contributed 80 million). $). Having spent most of the family fortune ($15 million), Bernard Arnault acquired Boussac. After the deal, he began restructuring: he fired over 5 thousand workers and sold off the company's main assets, leaving only Christian Dior and Le Bon Marché, a large department store in the central district of Paris. “Bernard Arnault is a predator, not a creator,” comments a banker close to the Boussac deal.
Le Bon Marché department store, Paris
Christian Dior became the first luxury manufacturer in Arnault's investment portfolio, and served as the foundation for building a fashion empire.
Best value: Louis Vuitton
In 1988, Arnault acquired a 25% stake in Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy, a conglomerate formed in 1987 by the merger of the French fashion house Louis Vuitton and the French wine and spirits producers Moet Hennessy. Taking advantage of differences between Alain Chevalier and Henri Racamier, the two co-presidents of the conglomerate, Bernard Arnault successfully carried out a takeover of the group and in 1989 became chairman and chief executive officer of LVMH. “When I bought Louis Vuitton,” the billionaire recalls, “everyone said, 'The company is already so big, what else can you do with it?' Now “Louis Vuitton” is called “the ATM of the LVMH group”; this brand accounts for the largest sales volume in the group - almost a quarter (23% in 2018).
Miuccia Prada Bianchi - biography, success story, photos, quotes, statements
Most Unsuccessful: “House of Gucci”
In 2001, Arnault failed to take over Gucci - he lost to French entrepreneur François-Henri Pinault, who bought a 40% stake in the Italian fashion house. Mr. Pinault is the business antipode of Bernard Arnault: he comes from a peasant family and did not even receive a secondary education. Although Arnault claims that he did not try to make this deal, Pinault is proud of his victory over the "bourgeois Arnault".
Largest: Tiffany
In the early 90s, the billionaire made about 10 major acquisitions: he bought Givenchy, Marc Jacobs, Guerlain, Tag Heuer. But they were not Arnault's biggest deal. In 2020, LVMH submitted an application to acquire the legendary Tiffany jewelry house, which has a 182-year history. In November 2020, when the purchase amount was raised from $14.5 billion to $16.2 billion, Tiffany & Co. came under the control of the LVMH holding.
Still from the movie “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” / Screenshot from the LVMH website
Business
His first place of work was in the advertising department of Louis Vuitton, from which he later moved to the position of director of public relations. He succeeded in this field and proved himself to be the best - the world of beauty and luxury things favorably and with a bang accepted the author's project with Annie Leibovitz, which also involved the well-known Mikhail Gorbachev, Muhammad Ali, Sean Connery, Zinedine Zidane, Angelina Jolie, Francis Ford Coppola and many others.
Berluti founder Antoine Arnault
Berluti is the businessman’s own brainchild. He gave it a second life, thought out a new philosophy and concept to the smallest detail and, most importantly, increased sales by 3 times and the consumer market.
He does not hide the secrets of success: “When you are as privileged from childhood as my sister and I are, when you have a strong name behind you, you also have incredible responsibility. That’s why it’s so important to work hard.”
The products are aimed at working and traveling men who understand the intricacies of style, art and wine.
Antoine Arnault and owner of the Loro Piana company Pier Luigi Loro Piana
Since 2013, the man has been one of the managers of the Italian clothing company Loro Piana. According to Antoine, despite a large number of interests and hobbies, in the future, as in his youth, he plans to connect his professional biography exclusively with the development of his father’s concern.
Literature and film library about Bernard Arnault
Although Arnault owns a large radio station, several media outlets and 10% of the TF1 television channel, there is surprisingly little literature and films about the outstanding businessman. Apparently, his non-publicity is taking its toll.
Of the books, perhaps, “Arnaud Bernard - owner of Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy” by Y. Petrova and E. Spiridonova, as well as a collection of his quotes and statements, deserve attention. Arnault himself, on occasion, rereads Blaise Pascal’s Pensées. Of the films, the documentary “Dior and I” and the recording of his classical music concert in Moscow (2017), where Maestro Spivakov conducted and which was attended by the entire French and domestic elite, are interesting.
Personal life
A fateful meeting happened back in 2008: Natalya participated in an advertising campaign for Louis Vuitton while Antoine was working there, for whom the slender, blue-eyed catwalk conqueror could not get out of his head. Apart from rare conversations at social events, he made no attempts to get closer - the girl at that time was the wife of Justin Portman.
However, the couple soon filed for divorce, Arno learned about this from news reports, took it as a sign of fate and decided to act. Due to a busy schedule, the tête-à-tête took place only 2 months after the first message was sent.
Successful entrepreneur Antoine Arnault
According to one version, it happened on a simple wooden bench in a park in Paris, according to another, in a man’s house. No signs of attention indicating sympathy were shown on his part. Vodianova, accustomed to the interest shown, even thought that she was being offered friendship:
“He was wearing ordinary jeans and looked like an ordinary young man. I already realized then that I liked him, but he didn’t even try to kiss me.”
Antoine Arnault and model Natalya Vodianova
On the second date, Antoine met the present members of the model’s family, chivalrously helped one of the guests, and then made frequent visits to his lady love in England, which ended with an accepted proposal to live together.
Now the couple has two sons, Maxim (2014) and Roman (2016), and together they are raising Lucas (2001), Neva (2006) and Victor (2007) from Natalia’s first marriage. This is how the businessman’s dream came true - to have many children and make them happy.
Antoine Arnault with his family
Looking at their perfect idyll and touching relationship, fans are perplexed why a magnificent wedding has not yet been held, which can lay claim to the main celebration of the year, or even the century. If you believe the media, then the problem is the same full workload and lack of time to plan and implement such a serious event.
If he does have a free minute, Antoine devotes it to his favorite poker and reading books.
The high-profile failures of Bernard Arnault
Gucci scandal
The impeccable Arno also had punctures. The story with Gucci is especially illustrative in this regard. This Italian manufacturer of luxury items found itself in complete decline by the eighties of the last century.
At first, Arno wanted to purchase the organization, but he was not satisfied with the too high price. Then there were attempts to persuade the manager, but he did not agree to the conditions. Arno went to the “battering ram” - since the company was registered in the Netherlands, the entrepreneur filed a lawsuit in Holland. The basis for the lawsuit was the unfair management of Gucci.
But the accused party withstood the blow with dignity - it resorted to “dilution of capital”, issuing 20 million shares. This measure reduced Bernard Arnault's share by half. And a worthy knockout - the manager of Gucci, De Sole, sells 40% of the shares to the long-time competitor of our hero, Francois Pinault.
Photo 4. Longtime competitor Francois Pinault. Source: constructorus.ru
Own label
In 1987, a rich Frenchman attempted to create his own label. We are talking about the Christian Lacroix fashion house.
Initially, it was planned that the company would produce haute couture models, and then move to a line of ready-to-wear clothing. However, the strategy turned out to be completely unviable. And in 2005, Bernard himself sold the company, and literally a couple of years later this company went bankrupt. What happened discouraged Arnault from creating brands himself from scratch.
It will be interesting to learn about the world's most expensive clothing brands.
Another interesting fact about Bernard Arnault: in 2012, he was thinking about becoming a Belgian citizen. This is how the richest French oligarch reacted to the authorities’ promise to raise taxes to 75%. More details in this video:
Antoine Arnault now
The eldest son of Bernard Arnault, whose fortune is estimated at $79.3 billion and allows him to confidently be in 4th place on the prestigious Forbes list, took a lot from his father. For example, he also has a craving for art, succeeds in the established business and knows a lot about truly beautiful things.
Antoine Arnault and Natalia Vodianova at the beginning of their acquaintance and now
Unlike his chosen one, Antoine is not so active on social networks and, it seems, appears on her Instagram page more often than on his own account. Photos from fashion shows, red carpets and social events are diluted with happy publications of bright moments of personal life, vacations, travel, meetings with friends, shopping trips and children's birthday celebrations.
In 2020, he attended the World Cup match at the Luzhniki Stadium with his wife and celebrated France’s victory with a passionate kiss.
Antoine Arnault and Natalia Vodianova at the Luzhniki Stadium in 2020
The couple tenderly takes care of each other, comes up with pleasant surprises, and organizes charity events, including golf tournaments. As the model says, the common-law husband loves to help those in need and cannot simply pass by a beggar. He is fit and slender to match his beloved (height 185 cm, weight 76 kg).
From first to second marriage
Natalia and Antoine have been together for two years. Rumors about an imminent wedding appear in the press every now and then. However, the lovers are still silent and smiling mysteriously... And they have many reasons for this.
The lovers met back in 2007. At that time, Arnault Jr. headed the PR department of the Verluti shoe brand. But then all Natalya’s thoughts and feelings were devoted to her husband - the British aristocrat, Lord Justin Portman - and she did not allow thoughts about another man. Suffice it to say that in the same year Natasha gave birth to her third child, son Victor.
Outwardly it was an ideal family. As members of a family of peers, but without a title themselves, Vodianova and her husband had the prefix "honourable" to their name. This prefix required a lot, but also rewarded a lot. A girl from a simple family became a member of British high society, her circle of friends expanded significantly, and not only models and designers, but also representatives of the British court appeared in it. Refuting the theory that Vodianova and Portman's marriage was based on calculation,
children were born into the family one after another. Natasha gave birth to her first child, son Lucas, at nineteen (!) years old. Five years later, daughter Neva was born...
Natalia Vodianova (photo: facebook.com/natasupernova)
Another argument in favor of the sincerity of this modern Cinderella, as Natasha was called by the British press, was that every time she recovered from childbirth in the shortest possible time. Vodianova was in a hurry to get back to work. To some, such haste seemed strange. Rumors that the rush was not only Natasha’s desire, but also a necessity, leaked to the press after the couple broke up. According to sources close to the family, despite the fact that Portman’s family owns 44 hectares of land in central London, he has already squandered his own fortune... in a casino. Moreover, having spent the inheritance, the lord allegedly began to gamble with money from the young family’s budget that Natasha earned. There was plenty to enjoy. For example, in the year before the divorce, Vodianova took 9th place in the list of the richest models in the world according to Forbes Magazine, having independently earned about 2.5 million pounds sterling. However, Vodianova did not confirm these rumors with a single word.
Vodianova’s new novel was cited in the press as another reason for the breakup. She was credited with relationships with actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers, photographer Scott Douglas, and Serbian financier Alexander Peshko.
Natalia Vodianova and Antoine Arnault (photo: facebook.com/natasupernova)
Empire
This tactic bore fruit almost immediately. Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH) today controls such high-profile fashion brands as Christian Lacroix, Givenchy, Kenzo, Loewe, Berluti, Guerlain, Celine, jewelers Fred and Swiss watchmakers Tag Heuer.
There are also more alcohol brands - Dom Perignon, Veuve Clicquot, Krug, Pommery. The empire is growing, and Bernard Arnault, whose biography is the biography of one of the born businessmen, is still one of the most active buyers in the world.
