{"id":1653,"date":"2026-04-01T12:32:24","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T12:32:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/1653\/"},"modified":"2026-04-01T12:32:24","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T12:32:24","slug":"bernard-arnault-inducted-as-immortal-in-french-official-ceremony","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/1653\/","title":{"rendered":"Bernard Arnault Inducted as Immortal in French Official Ceremony"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tPARIS \u2014 Bernard Arnault<\/a> has officially become an Immortal.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe chairman and chief executive officer of French luxury conglomerate LVMH Mo\u00ebt Hennessy Louis Vuitton<\/a> was inducted into the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences in Paris in a solemn ceremony attended by a who\u2019s-who of French society, led by First Lady Brigitte Macron.<\/p>\n

\n\tParis Mayor Anne Hidalgo and industry titans including Vincent Bollor\u00e9, Martin Bouygues and Rodolphe Saad\u00e9 were joined by LVMH designers including Jonathan Anderson, Pharrell Williams, Maria Grazia Chiuri, Sarah Burton and Victoire de Castellane for the ritual staged under the imposing dome of the Institut de France that enshrined Arnault as one of the country\u2019s top business minds.<\/p>\n

\n\tLifetime members of the prestigious institution are known in France as Immortals \u2014 a symbolic title that chimes with Arnault\u2019s publicly stated wish to continue leading his group until the age of 85<\/a>, despite feverish speculation about his succession plans.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn a show of unity, his five children \u2014 Delphine, Antoine, Alexandre, Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric and Jean \u2014 were seated in the same row, while his wife, H\u00e9l\u00e8ne Mercier-Arnault, sat at the front next to Macron.<\/p>\n

At the end of a nearly two-hour ceremony that featured speeches and a virtuoso performance by Swedish violinist Daniel Lozakovich, Arnault \u2014 dressed in an embroidered uniform designed by Anderson for Dior \u2014 was handed a ceremonial sword engraved with his initials, with a handle shaped like a flying fish.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"The<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tThe ceremonial sword designed by Frank Gehry.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCandice Ferrier\/Courtesy of Institut de France<\/p>\n

\n\tIt was created especially for him by the late architect Frank Gehry, with whom he worked on a number of projects, most memorably the striking Fondation Louis Vuitton building<\/a> near Paris.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tIn his speech, Arnault did not delve into his personal history, but instead paid a lengthy tribute to Denis Kessler, the late CEO of French reinsurer Scor and his predecessor in what is known as \u201cchair 1\u201d of the academy\u2019s political economy, statistics and finance section.<\/p>\n

\n\tHowever, he gave an insight into their shared entrepreneurial mindset when recalling that both traveled to the U.S. for the first time in 1969, where they were marked by the anti-war and civil rights protests, and counterculture movements like the Beat Generation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cFor young people of our generation from the French provinces, the United States came as a breathtaking revelation \u2014 a land of scale and freedom. Accustomed as we were to walls and ceilings, hedgerows, narrow streets and winding roads, our eyes were suddenly opened,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cOn the flight home, we understood that everything \u2014 truly everything \u2014 was within reach, as long as we were willing to summon the energy, enthusiasm, optimism and determination we had seen so vividly on the other side of the Atlantic,\u201d Arnault added.<\/p>\n

\t\t\u2018A Man in a Hurry\u2019\t<\/p>\n

\n\tAnderson said he wanted Arnault\u2019s uniform to reflect his forward-thinking approach \u2014 hence the almost abstract look of its traditional olive leaf embroidery, which stood out amid the sea of ceremonial garments. The tailcoat and white waistcoat were inspired by the \u201crevolution jackets\u201d of the designer\u2019s debut menswear show for Dior<\/a> in June.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Bernard<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tBernard Arnault<\/a> in his ceremonial uniform.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCopyright Emanuele Scorcelletti\/Courtesy of LVMH<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI\u2019m very into court jackets at the moment, and I wanted something more pared [back] and more him,\u201d said Anderson. \u201cHe obviously built an empire, which you have to be a revolutionary to be able to do, and I think he is probably one of the best examples of that today \u2014 incredibly modern in that way.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tJean-Claude Trichet, former president of the European Central Bank, touched on the highlights of Arnault\u2019s career, from his early days working for the family-owned industrial construction company Ferret-Savinel to his 1984 acquisition of the bankrupt French textile conglomerate Boussac Saint-Fr\u00e8res, which owned Christian Dior<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\tArnault\u2019s appointment at the head of LVMH in 1989 marked the beginning of what has become the world\u2019s biggest luxury group, owner of 75 brands including Louis Vuitton, Mo\u00ebt & Chandon, Tiffany & Co. and Sephora \u2014 earning him the nickname \u201cthe wolf in cashmere\u201d along the way.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cYou\u2019re a man in a hurry who knows where he\u2019s going,\u201d Trichet said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tFormer finance minister Bruno Le Maire, who in 2022 inaugurated two Louis Vuitton leather goods workshops<\/a> in central France, in turn reeled off the many symbols embedded in Arnault\u2019s ceremonial sword.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cBefore we delve into the details of its ornamentation, it tells us one obvious thing: you are a blade in almost every respect. A blade in your bearing. A blade in your gaze. A blade in your intelligence and your intuition,\u201d said Le Maire, who is also a published fiction author.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"The<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tThe ceremonial sword designed by Frank Gehry.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCandice Ferrier\/Courtesy of Institut de France<\/p>\n

\n\tThe sword, made by LVMH-owned jeweler Chaumet<\/a>, is topped with a blue orb resting on a bed of lily of the valley, the signature flower of couturier Christian Dior<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe deep blue can be mistaken for coldness, but in reality it expresses determination, creativity \u2014 and perhaps even tenderness,\u201d said Le Maire.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cYou have required no small measure of determination to rise to the ranks of the world\u2019s greatest entrepreneurs in a field that may appear superficial to those unfamiliar with it, yet in reality is deeply rooted in France\u2019s history and identity. We are a nation of fashion and luxury, and we should take pride in that,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

\t\tFamily Ties\t<\/p>\n

\n\tHe noted that the initials of Arnault\u2019s five children \u2014 alongside matching gemstones \u2014 were engraved on a five-pointed star around the handle of the sword, a reference to Christian Dior\u2019s lucky charm.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cNo precious stone can convey the pride they inspire in you. No engraving runs as deep as the bonds you have formed with them,\u201d Le Maire enthused.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe blade is engraved with a quote from Albert Einstein: \u201cImagination is more important than knowledge.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAfter the ceremony, Sidney Toledano, special adviser to Arnault and one of LVMH\u2019s longest-serving executives, said the sentence perfectly summed up Arnault\u2019s spirit. \u201cIt resonates strongly, and I believe it\u2019s a mindset shared by everyone who has worked alongside him,\u201d said Toledano.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThis is a historic moment,\u201d he continued. \u201cI feel great pride in having worked with him for so long, and in having earned his trust. Today, I think we truly recognized the full breadth of his qualities, both professional and personal \u2014 qualities that Bruno Le Maire summed up beautifully.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAmong the other LVMH executives in attendance were Antonio Belloni, St\u00e9phane Bianchi, Pietro Beccari, Jean-Baptiste Voisin, C\u00e9cile Cabanis, Jean-Jacques Guiony, Pierre-Emmanuel Angeloglou,\u00a0Olivier Bialobos, Damien Bertrand and Patrice Wagner.<\/p>\n

\n\tAlso present were architect Peter Marino, gallerist Larry Gagosian, chefs Yannick All\u00e9no and Arnaud Donckele, and Charles Kushner, U.S. ambassador to France \u2014 as well as the ambassadors of Italy, Japan and South Korea.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tChiuri, who was appointed chief creative officer of Fendi last October after nine years at the helm of Dior\u2019s womenswear collections, said she was impressed with the pageantry of the event, which unfolded under the watchful eye of infantry officers from the French Republican Guard.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cFor me it was a way to personally offer my congratulations for this significant recognition, and at the same time to see an institution I wasn\u2019t familiar with,\u201d she said, noting the Academy\u2019s key role in the transmission of culture.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cHe certainly represents someone who has managed to combine the cultural dimension with an entrepreneurial one,\u201d she said of Arnault. \u201cThat\u2019s not easy, because he has worked to preserve both French and foreign brands that represent a great tradition and exceptional craftsmanship, and to carry them forward without losing their DNA.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tWith that, Chiuri headed to the post-event cocktail to pose for a commemorative snap with Arnault, beaming in full regalia.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PARIS \u2014 Bernard Arnault has officially become an Immortal. The chairman and chief executive officer of French luxury…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1654,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[163],"tags":[762,2321,2322,1143],"class_list":{"0":"post-1653","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bernard-arnault","8":"tag-bernard-arnault","9":"tag-chaumet","10":"tag-christian-dior","11":"tag-lvmh-mou00ebt-hennessy-louis-vuitton"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@people\/116329470169697779","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1653","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1653"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1653\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1654"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1653"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1653"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/people\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1653"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}