Fashion

Delphine Arnault appointed by father Bernard Arnault to lead Dior

January 12, 2023
Hana Safitri

Wrote Oscar Holland, CNN

The billionaire owner of luxury group LVMH, Bernard Arnault, has appointed his daughter Delphine as the new head of Christian Dior, it was announced on Wednesday.

The 47-year-old will be chairman and chief executive of the French brand from February following a major shake-up at the conglomerate behind brands such as Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Givenchy and Tiffany & Co.

Arnault, whose father became the world’s richest man last month, will move from Louis Vuitton, which she joined as executive vice president in 2013. She previously spent more than a decade at Dior and was closely involved with LVMH’s Young Fashion Designer Award .

In a press statement, Bernard Arnault described his daughter’s career at the company as “defined by excellence.”

“Under her leadership, the desirability of Louis Vuitton products has advanced significantly, enabling the brand to regularly set new sales records,” it was quoted as saying. “Her astute insights and unparalleled experience will be a decisive asset in driving the continued development of Christian Dior.”

Models walk in the menswear show at the Pyramids of Giza, Egypt, hosted by Dior in December 2022.

Models walk in the menswear show at the Pyramids of Giza, Egypt, hosted by Dior in December 2022. Credit: Ahmed Hasan/AFP/Getty Images

She joins a label that is looking to continue the sustainable growth it enjoyed before the Covid-19 pandemic. The move also comes at a time when Dior, like the rest of the luxury fashion industry, is entering the season of big shows and new collections. Over the next two months, the label will present new menswear, fashion and womenswear lines at upcoming editions of Paris Fashion Week.

Wednesday’s announcement follows a series of recent changes unveiled by LVMH, including a new role for Arnault’s second child, Antoine, who steps in as CEO of the holding company through which the family owns a controlling stake in LVMH to replace longtime CEO Sidney Toledano.

It was also announced Wednesday that outgoing Dior boss Pietro Beccari will take over Louis Vuitton, whose current chief executive, Michael Burke, is staying on at Arnault’s luxury empire in an undisclosed location. The conglomerate’s share price rose after news of the restructuring.

In a statement, Bernard Arnault praised Beccari, who has been at Dior since 2018, for his “exceptional” work at the house. Alongside creative directors Maria Grazia Chiuri and Kim Jones, who lead the women’s and men’s divisions, the Italian executive has overseen several major developments at the brand, including a move into beach accessories and a major revamp of the brand’s flagship store in Paris.

In recent years, Dior has also appointed high-powered celebrity ambassadors and collaborators, from Travis Scott to tennis star Emma Raducana and K-pop star Jisoo. The label, meanwhile, has mounted increasingly ambitious shows — including a dramatic evening spectacle that used the illuminated pyramids of Giza as a backdrop for its fall 2023 menswear collection — and expanded its presence in Asia. Last year, the fashion house hosted a fashion show in South Korea for the first time.

Home sales tripled, to 6.6 billion euros ($7.1 billion), during Beccari’s four-year tenure, Reuters said, citing Citi estimates.

Bernard Arnault has been credited with transforming Dior’s fortunes over the years since he first became involved with the brand in 1984. The 73-year-old, who is worth an estimated $171 billion, has given no indication that he intends to step down from his role at LVMH, with the company last year raised the maximum age of its CEO from 75 to 80, Reuters reported.

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