Hollywood is famously awash in irony and blood feuds. So perhaps it's fitting that, after locking horns for decades in Europe over Gucci, Hedi Slimane, and the finest Champagnes, Bernard Arnault and François-Henri Pinault have exported their Gallic rivalry across the Atlantic, each billionaire now determined to conquer the epicenter of film and television just as he has vanquished the world of luxury.
The dueling titans are building foundations in Hollywood that could be transformative not only for their many brands—which are chockablock with unplumbed archives—but also for the entertainment business, which knows how to tell a compelling tale. Last September, Pinault, chairman and chief executive of Kering, bought a majority stake in the CAA talent agency for a reported $2.8 billion through his family's private-investment group, Artémis. Kering, a publicly traded company controlled by Pinault, was not directly involved, but the move raised speculation that its brands—which include Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen, Gucci, Balenciaga, and Boucheron—could benefit from entertainment relationships, particularly among celebrities, who remain the world's most powerful influencers.
Months later, Arnault, chairman and chief executive of LVMH (also a public company), one-upped Pinault by launching an entirely new entertainment studio in partnership with well-connected Hollywood marketing veterans who—in case the move didn't sting enough—once worked for CAA. Arnault named the studio 22 Montaigne Entertainment, after his company's plush address in Paris's 8th arrondissement, and placed his eldest son, Antoine, in charge.
By the time its formation was announced in February, 22 Montaigne, via its new partners at Superconnector Studios, was reportedly already in talks with potential collaborators, such as Imagine Entertainment, founded by Ron Howard and and focuses on stories about women, who happen to be LVMH's primary consumers. Imagine the dramatic—not to mention comedic—tales buried in the vaults of a company that owns Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Givenchy, Tiffany & Co., and Dom Pérignon, among dozens of other top names. The possibilities for brand-centric film, television, streaming, and podcast projects that can bring their archives to life are practically endless.
