As Louis Vuitton staff put the finishing touches on the displays for a new collaboration with Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama earlier this month, they received a surprise visit. It was late at night at the flagship Champs Elysées store, but Delphine Arnault, the 47-year old daughter of LVMH’s billionaire owner and number two executive at Louis Vuitton, wanted to make sure the launch was perfect.
Nicolas Ghesquière, the creative director of Louis Vuitton who has worked closely with Arnault for more than a decade, said the 11pm visit was typical of her attention to detail. “When you’re designing, she already has a vision of what the product will look like in the boutique,” he says. “She is more demanding than most, but I find it reassuring since I know she will make sure that my ideas reach the market intact.”
It is easy to dismiss Delphine Arnault as another heir ushered up the ranks by their parent. Bernard Arnault built LVMH into a behemoth, turning it into the 12th-biggest company globally by market capitalisation and putting his family near the top of the world’s richest list.