We have received a heritage of craftsmanship, of aesthetics, of taste, of identity. Our brands have the beauty to preserve and perpetuate it.
Antoine Arnault
My father has many talents, but his best is marketing.
A pair of Berluti shoes has this flair, these nuances in colour and patina, so I thought: 'What if we took this je ne sais quoi and turn it into a menswear brand?'
Luxury takes many forms nowadays, but one thing doesn't change: luxury is about desire and the ability to create dreams.
I think to create brands such as ours and to develop them takes time, and many people when you ask them what is luxury, they say time. And in a way it's true.
I never conduct business on the golf course.
If you have trouble in your private life, who are you going to speak to? Not the new friend you made the day before, but people you trust and have known forever. Vuitton, Berluti, Hermes: it is those brands that have never compromised on quality or values that people turn to.
In an era of instant communication, a flaw or non-perfect product creates immediate bad buzz.
I had a couple of years of rebellion - I was singing in a rock band.
You have to embrace trends; it's crazy to think you can live above it. Like digital, like selling online, like social networks - if you fear them, they're going to eat you alive.
Experience is going to be even more important than it used to be - people will want to live something when they are in our stores, otherwise they'll just buy on their phones.
What we sell are not products... that customers are going to put in a closet and forget.
Designers are not artists. They may have the talent of one, but if they want to work in that way they should paint or sculpt.
It's not a burden, you know? You're going to work in fashion, surrounded by creativity and beautiful people, beautiful objects... or work in banking. OK, I choose fashion.
I love Aston Martin.
We were raised with real values about the importance of work and respect for the people.
I hate the marketing side of business where, 'Oh let's do a shoe for this clientele or for the Chinese or for the Japanese.' We're doing the same products for everyone.
It was clear from very early on that I would work in the family company. There was not really ever another option or idea.
During the last years of university I started an online business with a couple of friends selling domain names - we started by cybersquatting and then we became a real business. Someone bought us after three years and we made a good deal.
Being surrounded by creativity and talent is very enriching - not in terms of money but in terms of the soul and the spirit.
Luxury is a difficult object to describe - it's been the object of hundreds of years of discussion. We definitely don't need it, but it's good for the soul.
We need to focus on what we know to do best, and our domain is the highest quality in luxury products and spending the most attention on uncompromising quality, not on being technologically advanced.
Italy has a special place in my heart.
We have very strong roots in Italy and we are committed to deepen these roots even more.
We absolutely take no decisions based on the share price, not for LVMH.
I am not often proud.
The luxury industry is being radically reshaped by technology-driven innovation.
If I see one of my sales assistants neglecting someone because he doesn't look like a good client, he's fired immediately.
LVMH is not just about numbers. It's about people.
It was clear that my father wanted us to work with him. I mean, it is a family company.
I'm a visual person, a conceptual person.
Advertising has always been something I kind of understood.
Of course I have other passions... but my real investment obviously without a second thought is LVMH and what my father created.
I like to respect my customers.
Not every brand is for everybody.
It takes eight to nine months for a Berluti client to get a pair of custom-made shoes and it's fine. I was always against see now/buy now, as I don't think it's relevant to what we do and is not a good image of luxury.
In many competitive worlds like luxury, things are done behind closed doors and with secrecy, so one day I had a eureka moment: for one weekend we show everything, full transparency, forget about business or commerce and showcase our work.
Millennials, as others, want creative, durable, desirable, and beautiful products. But they do add a new criteria: respect.
Berluti, we manufacture wonderfully successful sneakers, which I'm proud of. But I certainly don't forget the beauty we have to cultivate, the prestige of Venezia leather bespoke shoes, because this is a unique know-how that does not exist anywhere else.
I'm not the biggest fan of airports. I try to arrive a few minutes before check-in closes.
Never forget your iPod and dvd player during long trips.
The west coast of Corsica on a boat in August is probably as beautiful as it gets.
One week a year, I go to Las Vegas with friends to play poker. We usually go to the Wynn. To play golf in the desert in the middle of the strip at the Wynn is one of the most surreal experiences you'll have.
The luxury industry has always been a little bit counter-cyclical.
Going from zero to five kids in two and a half years is the most wonderful thing in the world.
I think buying shoes is intimidating for a guy. Sitting down taking your shoes off, for men, it's too much. But you should never be intimidated by anything.
I was taught fashion very early, from the age of 12 when my father bought and created the group.
Growing up, I'd always visit boutiques with my father on the weekends.
