It's Never Too Late to Change the Playbook For Your Image

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Bernard Arnault has spent decades carefully cultivating the image of some of the world’s most sought after brands, from Louis Vuitton to Dior. Now the LVMH chief is changing tactics when it comes to his own. 

The billionaire published an acerbic open letter attacking one of France’s top newspapers on Sunday, taking aim at a six-part examination of his political connections, media ownership and the question of who will eventually succeed him at the top of his luxury empire. On Monday, the 77-year-old took to social-media platform X for the first time to amplify his uncharacteristic missive.

The new approach comes as Arnault has grown increasingly frustrated with how he and his family are being portrayed.  

Admirers credit Arnault with turning brands such as Louis Vuitton and Dior into global powerhouses and helping establish France as the dominant force in the luxury industry. As such, he has the right to exercise control over the use of his image and how he is portrayed.

Luxury Brand Dior Faces Heat from China's Internet

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Luxury brand Dior faces heat from China's internet—this time for basing the design of a pleated skirt that closely resembles a traditional garment – a Chinese horse face skirt (e.g., off of Etsy) dating to the Song and the Ming dynasty.

The skirt in question made its debut on the runways of Seoul in April this year. In the post-show notes, artistic director of Dior, Maria Grazia Chiuri, said the collection was inspired by school uniforms and aimed to pay tribute to Catherine, Christian Dior’s sister. “Maria Grazia Chiuri became interested in school outfits and, above all, in the way students dust off, revamp and update the tropes of these garments, personalizing them with distinctive details, verging on punk overtones, before venturing through urban landscapes in search of spaces of freedom,” an excerpt from the show notes read.

It is what it is.  Is anything ever really new anymore except for Apple's innovations :-).