Celebrity Life

With an estimated net worth of US$186.3 billion, chairman and CEO of the luxury goods conglomerate Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH) Bernard Arnault joined the centi-billionaires club in May 2021, according to Forbes. The French fashion mogul is one of the richest people in the world and a force to reckon with.

Bernard Arnault net worth & expensive collections -

Luxury purchases portfolio 

He started his journey to the top in the 1980s when he first ventured into fashion with US$15 million from his father’s construction business. He got the rest of US$65 million financed from Lazard to buy the then-parent company of Christian Dior – in 1985. 

Since then, Arnault has been acquiring luxury brands and earned nicknames like "wolf in the cashmere coat" in the French media. In 1987, the conglomerate LVMH came into existence with the merger of Moët & Chandon and Hennessy, the world’s largest champagne and cognac producers, respectively. 

Bernard Arnault then went on to conquer leading European luxury brands, including couture-brand Givenchy (1988), French perfume, makeup and skincare giant Guerlain (1994), French leather luxury goods brand Céline (1996), the Italian jewellery brand Bvlgari (2011), Paris-based couture house Christian Dior (2017), American luxury jewellery and accessory brand Tiffany & Co. (2020) and Italian luxury label Off-White (2021), bringing the total to 75 stellar brands.  

Apart from luxury brands, Bernard Arnault has taken the helm of other pursuits such as hotels, artwork, yachts and culture.

Superyachts

The luxury yacht named Symphony, owned by Arnault, is among the world’s top 100 superyachts and the largest Feadship. Symphony can accommodate 36 passengers and is the first Feadship to cross the 100-metre mark and measures 101.5 metres or about 333 feet. Designed by Tim Heywood Design, Symphony is an eco-friendly yacht featuring six decks, an aluminium structure, has a gross tonnage of near 3,000 GT and a helicopter pad.  

The interior of the yacht, by Zuretti Interior Design, exudes luxury with a jacuzzi, sauna, lounge and dining area to accommodate 20 people. One of the decks includes a private office and study, beach club, cinema, golf area and wellness centre.  

The French yacht enthusiast also owned Amadeus, a superyacht built in 1969, which was given a luxury makeover to host many prominent personalities such as former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and renowned rockstar Bono. It was later sold in 2015.  

Wines and spirits

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LVMH’s 23 houses strive together to craft high-end cognacs, wines and champagnes around the world. The key brands include Moët & Chandon, Hennessy, Krug and Château d’Yquem. 

Private Island 

Bernard Arnault reportedly owns Indigo Island, a 135-acre private island located in the Bahamas that offers retreats for the affluent at a whopping price of approximately US$300,000 per week. 

Artwork 

Known for his collection of world-class artworks, the French entrepreneur’s extensive collection of contemporary artwork includes paintings by Picasso, Andy Warhol and Henry Moore. His proximity to art and culture can be established by the fact that LVMH has ventured into many artistic pursuits, including the inception of the idea of the Foundation Louis Vuitton in 2001— which opened for the public in 2014.  

According to Bloomberg, Arnault keeps the collection of most famous artists in his Paris house.  

Luxury hotels  

Cheval Blanc and Belmond Hotel are owned by LVMH, which offer extravagance like no other. Cheval Blanc is a luxury hotel with 72 rooms and suites. The hotel also features on-site LV and Dior boutiques for luxury shopping. LVMH has over 46 Belmond hotel properties across 24 countries and counting.  

Saint-Tropez mansion 

Arnault owns a massive chateau-style waterfront mansion in Saint-Tropez, France, featuring multiple bedrooms an outdoor swimming pool, tennis court, movie theatre and separate quarters for staff. 

Private Jets

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Bernard Arnault reportedly splashed US$40 million on his private jet, Dassault Falcon 7X. Previously, he owned a Bombardier Global Express 6000. He also owns an ultra-long-range business jet Bombardier Global 7500 which can accommodate up to 19 passengers. 

(Hero and Featured Image credit: Eric Piermont/AFP)

This story originally appeared on Lifestyle Asia KL.

The post The Expensive Things LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault Bought With his Billions appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Taking to the seas has long been one of the best ways to see the world – whether planning a later summer jaunt sailing around some of Europe’s sunniest hot spots, or planning a lengthier trip further afield. If you’re looking for a sun-soaked adventure without compromising on luxury, then a lavish catamaran is the […]

After a year of constant travel restrictions putting our luxury getaways on hold, we could all do with a bit of a break – and if you’re looking for the full five star experience, then you may be wondering just where exactly you can go. With limited nations recently promoted to the UK’s green list, […]

There’s no doubt Alex Lam inherited his musical talent from his parents, his father being Cantopop legend George Lam Chi-Cheung, and his mother, Sally Yeh. Still, the singer-songwriter and actor hasn’t let privilege get to his head — he’s not afraid to explore other paths, from a stint in Los Angeles to discover yoga and becoming a yoga teacher, to dipping his toes in fashion.

Lam met Hiro Yoshikawa, founder and designer of Washi Jeans, a Japanese denim brand, a couple years back and was intrigued by the designer’s backstory. Now based in Hong Kong, Yoshikawa is the 18^th generation of a revered sake maker in Okayama, Japan, and the first to leave the family business to pursue his own passion in denim-making. By chance, Yoshikawa had found an old document that charted out his family’s history, written on washi paper. Inspired by this, he developed and patented the Washi No. 6 paper yarn, which he utilizes in his first solo collection launching this month.

Lam, who has always had an eye for detail, quickly became an ambassador and muse for Yoshikawa, and took it upon himself to bring the recognition Yoshikawa deserves by helping him stage his upcoming solo debut.

We sit down with Alex Lam and Hiro Yoshikawa at Washi Jean's studio to talk about style and the upcoming debut of Yoshikawa's solo collection Life on Earth.

Can you describe your style? What are your wardrobe essentials?

AL: My style has always been inspired by musicians. I grew up watching some of my favourite bands like The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, and today, I'm inspired by singers like Drake. For me, my summer essentials include a sleeveless vest, a good multi-functional blazer and a pair of high-quality designer jeans.

Have you always been passionate about fashion and did you want to work in fashion?

AL: I have always cared about how I look and my outfits since I was a kid. I remember there was one time when the collar of my t-shirt wasn't right and I wouldn’t wear it out until my parents fixed it for me. Having friends who are in the fashion industry allows me to execute and experiment my ideas during workshops, like the ‘marshmallow’ colourway of the t-shirt I’m wearing right now. 

How did the both of you meet?

AL: I met Hiro-san thought some of our mutual friends.

HY: have been making jeans for other brands for the past 30 years and it has always been my dream to have my own denim brand. I have always hung out with people from the fashion industry, and meeting Alex from the music and acting world has made my life more fun and exciting.

Can you tell us a bit about your project with Hiro-san?

AL: I was hanging out with a group of producers and we often talk about fashion shows, designer brands’ videos, installation art and music. Once we found out Hiro-san wanted to launch his own denim brand this year, we decided to catch this opportunity and put our ideas together. We are organising a VIP launch event with a fashion show on June 11, 2021.

What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome with this project?

AL: I think the rules of the game changed after Covid started last year. We looked at online fashion shows last year, without the tradition styles, and we knew our team needed to do it in a cleverer way. The restriction for event gathering is 30 persons at the moment, so we were not able to invite too many friends and make the event as big as before. Plus the campaign and fashion show video shoot all in one day, that’s the biggest challenge in this project.

HY:  We have been staying in our studio almost every day is the past few months, meeting different parties like our PR team, models, videographers and producers.

What else are you up to this year that you can share with us?

AL: I have released a new song and I just finished a music video for another song. I have also been working on my YouTube channel and created a few series, but it’s been slightly slowed down because I was focusing in this project.

Has the pandemic affected the way you work or changed your priorities?

AL: Before Covid, I was busy working with clients, who often prepared everything. With changes and restrictions during this period, I am able to organise and create more content by myself.

What are you currently inspired by?

AL: There are many indie musicians and young kids out there who are doing their music in their unique styles. I admire them a lot as they can release songs as long as they think it sounds good. I used think good music requires the best studio and recording equipment, but turned out a lot of indie musicians are producing high quality songs just by working at home.

You have a YouTube channel, you're into fashion, music as well as classic cars. How did you get into each of those passions and how do you balance it all?

AL: Project by project. I’m now focusing more on quantity over quality and I'll keep learning from the progress and mistakes.

Do you have a motto you live by?

Stay healthy. As I was a yoga teacher, I still practice yoga for two to three hours each day. It’s a good way to reflect on myself and find peace.

The post This Summer, Asia Yachting Offers the Ultimate Way of Escape appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

With COVID restrictions beginning to loosen, it will soon be possible to visit both France and Italy again. What better way to experience these Mediterranean havens than by visiting the wonderful islands of Corsica and Sardinia during a private yacht charter?   Discovering Corsica and Sardinia in one go? Here’s where to go… The best way […]

The post Discover Charming Corsica & Sublime Sardinia By Yacht appeared first on Upscale Living Magazine.

Ocean Residences Development Ltd has appointed Italian design studio FM Architettura’s Francesca Muzio as the lead interior designer of the world’s largest private residence yacht M/Y Njord. The studio co-founder will work closely alongside Espen Øino, the architect of this giant luxury residence. Together their vision will reveal residences of the most outstanding specifications and […]

The post FM Architettura brings ‘A Sense of Home’; the lead interior designers for the M/Y Njord. appeared first on Upscale Living Magazine.

If one man could claim responsibility for affluent Asians’ growing passion for yachting and the sea, that might well be Mike Simpson.

His tall figure has been a well-recognised presence around the typhoon shelter ever since he berthed his yacht alongside the Aberdeen Marina Club almost 40 years ago. In those days, Mike Simpson was a one-man-band, living aboard his boat, meeting fellow sailors and occasionally, over a beer or two, selling them a yacht. Now he heads one of Asia’s leading yacht-sales, charter and management companies, with a team of almost 100 based in 12 locations across the region, from Bali to Taiwan. And yet this freedom-loving Englishman had never intended to build a business at all.

Although Simpson says that he’s told his story several times, it’s a yarn well worth repeating. “If you want to start from the beginning,” he says, “I came to Asia to build a yacht for myself, in Taiwan, with the intention of sailing it around the world. For about 10 or 12 years before that, I’d been travelling in different parts of the world on foot and by boat, and I’d ended up in Greece running a yacht charter fleet.

“My girlfriend at the time was a keen sailor who’d helped to deliver a yacht back from Taiwan and told me what great boats they built there. In those days I wasn’t terribly impressed with the Taiwan-built sailing yachts I’d seen, which were clipper-bowed and heavily built, but one day a beautiful 46-foot, centre-cockpit cutter sailed into Mandraki harbour in Rhodes, where I was working. I wandered over, introduced myself, and the owner showed me around – and it turned out that it was built in Taiwan.”

"We’ve had great success with Sanlorenzo, whose combination of cutting-edge design and exceptionally high quality has struck a chord with Asian buyers”

Mike Simpson

Convinced, perhaps as much by the serendipity as anything else, the pair decided to head out to Asia, where they’d build their dream yacht; this was at the tail end of the 1970s. “The idea,” he says, “was to sail around the world – though, of course, we’d have to make some money to cover our costs en route. Maybe we’d charter the yacht or work on other people’s yachts, or in a boatyard – you did whatever you could to earn money on the way, that’s how it used to be.”

They holed up for half a year in Tianmu, a suburb of Taipei, and Simpson, who conveniently spoke Chinese, went to the shipyard each day and worked with the team to build his yacht, Hoopoe. Once it was finished and fully fitted out for cruising, the two of them sailed out into the teeth of a South China Sea gale, with Hong Kong and then Singapore being the first two stops on their planned epic circumnavigation. But that was as far as they got.

“We were all set to head out from Singapore for Sri Lanka, our planned next stop, when an American saw the boat at anchor and asked if he could have a look. After a quick walk around, he said, ‘This is my dream yacht. Is there any chance you’d sell it?’ I remember my girlfriend immediately snapped back, ‘Of course not, this is our home!’ but I wavered, because when you’re building a yacht there’s always something you could do better next time and we had debts to repay.

“I worked out what it would cost us to fly to Sri Lanka to pick up our mail from the poste restante in Galle, then fly on to Courchevel in France for a couple of weeks’ skiing, then fly back to Taiwan and rent a flat there while we built Hoopoe II. I gave him the price, which also included paying back the money we’d borrowed to help us buy the yacht, and to our amazement he said, ‘OK, it’s a deal.’ So off we went to his lawyer’s office and it was done literally in four or five hours.”

That eventually brought them back, via a long and circuitous route, to Taiwan, where they started all over again. Only they never did get to circumnavigate the world, because while building their second yacht they met “an English guy who was looking for a yacht in Taiwan” and, well, you can guess the rest.

“We delivered that one down to Hong Kong fully fitted out and ready to sail away,” says Simpson, “and he turned up with a suitcase – well, two suitcases, one with all his kit in it and the other one full of banknotes. After a day counting banknotes the deal was done. He sailed off two days later and I never heard from him again!” By then, he says, the penny had dropped and though he’d never been interested in getting into business and money was only a means to an end – funding for adventure and travel – he realised that a business was exactly what he had.

“I thought, ‘Maybe instead of being typical impecunious sailors, earning money along the way, we could build up a cruising fund by selling yachts for six months or so and then set sail again with some money in the bank.’ By the time I took a third yacht down to Singapore specifically to sell and to pick up a couple of orders, the shipyard had caught on and said, ‘By the way, would you be interested in becoming a dealer?’ So my girlfriend returned to England and I ended up here with the dealership for Ta Chiao yachts for Hong Kong. “I sailed my yacht into the newly opened Aberdeen Marina Club – I think, it was 1983 – and that’s how I got started here. I was living on the boat, I’d got a berth right in front of the clubhouse, and that’s where I began the business, from the yacht. The dealership was simply a document I’d signed with the rights to sell yachts here.”

Yachting in those days meant sailing yachts, says Simpson, and “there was quite an active scene, mainly centred around the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club”. However when a “buyer” explained that he’d decided to buy a Beneteau from France instead the beautiful hand-built yacht from Taiwan he’d been hoping to sell him, Simpson realised that his heavy Taiwanese boats didn’t feed the Hong Kong yachties’ appetite for club racing and performance. Realising a change of tack was needed, he contacted the Beneteau shipyard to learn more about them and ended up taking on the French manufacturer’s local dealership, which he still holds today.

“It’s a very long relationship, which says something, though I’m not sure what!” he says with a chuckle. “It’s now 35 years since we became their dealer, first in Hong Kong and then in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and China. They’re one of the world’s largest yacht builders with more than 400 dealerships worldwide, but they’re yachtsmen at heart and that comes across in the way they do business. They’re a great company to work with and I still enjoying doing business with them.”

Simpson’s move into motor yachts began when he met the Australian businessman and “corporate doctor” Bill Wylie, a man perhaps most famous in Hong Kong for heading Hutchison Whampoa in the late ’70s. “There’s a sort of cultural divide,” says Simpson, “between ‘true’ sailors, who sail boats with sails, and motor-yacht sailors, who typically have a captain and crew to look after everything and do all the work – or all the fun, as we ‘true’ sailors might say – while they just sit back, relax and enjoy the service! Although we’d started out selling sailing yachts, when I met Bill he was intending to move back to Australia and was interested in getting a motor yacht to keep down in Perth.

"It's the realisation of a dream, to help spread yachting around Asia, because being so keen on it and loving the adventure of it, I wanted to share that."

Mike Simpson

“Coincidentally, I’d seen an advertisement in a magazine for an Italian motor-yacht builder. So I put two and two together, flew to Italy, went to the shipyard and explained that I possibly had a buyer for one of their 76-footers, which in those days was a big yacht in Asia. And that was how that deal happened – and how I got into motor yachts.”

Today, Simpson Marine’s business is very much skewed towards motor yachts, representing the leading luxury Italian motor-yacht builder Sanlorenzo and its Bluegame subsidiary, Aquila power catamarans and UK-based Fairline motor yachts, as well as Beneteau motor and sailing yachts, Lagoon catamarans and CNB sailing yachts. The company also has a superyacht division, which offers purchase, management and chartering services.

That shift towards motor as opposed to wind power largely coincided with the company’s expansion into a regional operation, with sales and service facilities across East Asia. “If you look back over the last 30 or 40 years,” Simpson explains, “it’s been a turbulent period in Asian history, with all sorts of political and economic upheavals around the region, but fortunately not in all Asian markets at the same time – if some countries were down, others would be up.

“What that showed me was that if your business was centred only on one country, and that country experienced a serious financial crisis, you’d have no business. So I decided – though there were some additional circumstances that led to it – to open an office in Singapore and then in Malaysia, and so on. It greatly extended the reach of the company and it’s worked well for us – it’s given us a kind of balance.

“But it was also the realisation of a dream, to help spread yachting around Asia, because being so keen on it and loving the adventure of it, I wanted to share that, to be a pioneer, as it were, and introduce people to boating – and having the offices around Asia meant that people were given the confidence that if they did decide to go cruising further afield, we could look after them. And that’s always been part of our philosophy.”

Simpson admits – a little ruefully, as he doesn’t like to crow at a time that’s proved so hard for so many – that the past 12 months have been surprisingly good for business. “Although it could have been extremely bad for us, it worked out very well, and quite the opposite of what we’d anticipated. We’re very fortunate being in such a beautiful location in lockdown. When you get out on the water around Hong Kong, you see what a beautiful place this is – and that the best way to enjoy it is to buy or charter a yacht. Last summer I bought myself a Beneteau Oceanis – a sailing yacht, of course! – and I’ve enjoyed sailing with friends every weekend. When you’re sailing along in a brisk northeast monsoon with this beautiful coastline going past, it’s wonderful.”

As for being an old-school sailor who’s now forced to rely on new-fangled motor and superyachts for the bulk of his business, he’s phlegmatic. “To sustain and develop the business, we have to sell large motor yachts and we’ve had great success with Sanlorenzo. whose combination of cutting-edge design and exceptionally high quality has struck a chord with Asian buyers,” he says.

“We could never afford the regional presence we have if we were only selling sailing boats, because they’re a relatively small segment of the rapidly growing Asian yacht market. The reason we continue with Beneteau is because we really like the brand and because it’s our identity, it’s where we started. Beneteau are yachties themselves and I do think that’s why the relationship has lasted for so long. We share the same passion for the sea.

“It’s part of our DNA that we continue with sailing. And we always will.”

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Based in Monfalcone, northern Italy but with the muscle of leading French Groupe Beneteau behind it, Monte Carlo Yachts has, in little more than a decade, become synonymous with the construction of timeless, luxurious and yet highly advanced motor yachts. With exterior and interiors designed by the Scorzè-based studio Nuvolari Lenard, the award-winning MCY 70 Skylounge, which is making its grand arrival in Hong Kong waters, typifies the blend of classic elegance, luxurious comfort and seaworthiness that’s become synonymous with the brand.

Available in this market through Asia Yachting , the MCY 70 Skylounge measures just over 21 metres from bow to stern, with a maximum beam of almost 5.5 metres, but an emphasis on space maximisation means that within those dimensions it features not only an airy enclosed flybridge lounge – the first of its kind on an Italian-designed yacht – and a main-deck saloon, but also a beautifully appointed owner’s cabin and a versatile lounge area in the bow that can even be transformed into a beach cabana.

As the yacht’s name suggests, a unique feature is its fully enclosed flybridge and helm station, which guarantees comfort and privacy at all times and in all weathers, yet wide windows flood the interior with natural light and offer a 360-degree view of the horizon. To the rear of the flybridge, a sliding door grants convenient access to an aft sunbathing area. Drawing on MCY’s strength for customisation, the stylish main-deck saloon can be configured to the owner’s requirements, with multiple seating possibilities as well as materials of the highest quality, including Italian leather and marble.

Making this the ideal home-from-home afloat, the lower deck is occupied by a bright and spacious owner’s cabin, as well as guest cabins, all of which are ensuite. Sleeping accommodation is available in a variety of layouts and finishes, and can also be equipped with advanced audio-visual systems, and to ensure maximum privacy the owner’s and guest cabins can be accessed by two separate stairways.

Powered by twin 1,300hp MAN diesels, the MCY 70 Skylounge can cruise at speeds up to 22kt and reach a 26kt maximum. Now in Hong Kong, it’s available for viewing by appointment with Asia Yachting .

Register here

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The best yacht party…onboard of the 62.5m Apogee One of the safest and most luxurious ways to travel during the global pandemic remains on board a charter yacht. With the holiday season fast upon us, why not consider booking a charter yacht with plenty of space and throw yourself the ultimate yacht party? The 62.5m […]

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The yachting industry is about to get all shook up; enter Julien Cadro, the young French yacht designer who is determined to inject new eco-friendly life into yachting. Brought up on the French Riveria, Julien was inspired by his seaside home to follow his dreams of bringing innovation to the industry. Julien took time out […]

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