Bernard Arnault biography
Founder of the LVMH luxury goods empire

Named 'The 7th richest person in the world' by Forbes Magazine, the Bernard Arnault biography has generated ample interest among people all over the world. Add a 'One of the 100 most influential people in the world' tag (by Time Magazine in 2007) to it, and people want to lap it up. Now, top that off with 'Founder, chairman and CEO of LVMH (the conglomerate consisting of over 50 luxury brands including Louis Vuitton, Dior and Fendi)' and everybody wants to know just who this Bernard Arnault is, and how he made it so big.

Born, March 5th 1949 in Roubaix of Northern France, Bernard Arnault went to the Ecole Polytechnique and graduated with an engineering degree in 1971. From helping run the family's property and construction business firm, Arnault watched the company, Ferret-Savinel, thrive under his keen business eye, building time shares on the French Riviera.

With the rise of French Socialist to power in 1981, he moved along with his family to the United States. Here, he continued the construction business in Palm Beach, Florida.

When the political atmosphere of France changed in the year 1983, Bernard moved with his family back to his country. He then took over the textile firm Boussac, which owned the brand Christian Dior, by investing $15 million of his money along with some additional finances. With this he aimed to gain a foothold in the luxury market by gaining control over the Dior label.

He then proceeded to sell various divisions of Boussac that did not have much to do with his luxury business goals and invested the amount in purchasing 24% of the controlling shares of LVMH. The company was revamped, many of the senior management laid off, and a new team was in place to shift the company's focus from conventional trends to more innovative designs that were springing up within France.

His heart was in harnessing the creative talent of the fashion world and bringing it to the luxury market. So he hired John Galliano, a new designer - a step that was in line with his new vision and proceeded to build the future of LVMH. His daughter Delphine Arnault, one of the five children from two marriages, played an active role in the management of LVMH.

Throughout the 1990s, Benard Arnault continued his shopping spree by acquiring brands and buying luxury names like Givenchy, TAG Heuer, Sephora, along with a host of wine and spirit labels. Though often criticized for his large luxury conglomerate, his competitors could not help but acknowledge the fact that he was making large business as well as financial strides, as a result of his ability to make informed, yet often high-risk and frowned-upon, decisions.

A lover of art and noted art-collector, he created a Louis Vuitton foundation for contemporary art, following the example of Francois Pinault. He also learnt and played the piano in his younger days and his second wife Hélène Mercier, is a pianist as well.

With the turn of the century and change in the economy, the demand for luxury goods saw a huge downfall. This caused several brands under LVMH struggling to survive in the market. Although this made Arnault downsize some of his brands and stores, he still managed to keep his tight hold on the most-popular luxury brands in the industry and ensured that the Bernard Arnault biography is far from over.

Bernard Arnault biography links

• A more in-depth Bernard Arnault biography
• A Time magazine article about the 'Pope of Fashion' Bernard Arnault