Arnault vs Ortega

Two fashion fortunes: luxury houses and Zara.

The differences

Forbes puts Amancio Ortega about $22.9B ahead of Bernard Arnault.Forbes figures from 6 Oct 2026 and 8 Oct 2026.
Bernard Arnault: inherited and grew it. Amancio Ortega: founded it.
Amancio Ortega is about 13 years older than Bernard Arnault.
Bernard Arnault is from France; Amancio Ortega is from Spain.

Put someone else on either side

Arnault

Ortega

Net worth, Forbes: $119BForbes, 8 Oct 2026; $142BForbes, 6 Oct 2026
Net worth, Bloomberg: $133BBloomberg, 13 Oct 2026; $126BBloomberg, 9 Oct 2026
Forbes rank: No. 7Annual list, date not stated; No. 10Annual list, 1 Mar 2026
Billionaire since: 1997First year on a Forbes billionaires list: Forbes says he 'first appeared on Forbes' list of World's Billionaires in 1997', at an estimated $3.6 billion; 2001First year on a Forbes billionaires list: Forbes says he took Inditex public in 2001 and 'debuted on the Forbes billionaires list the same year' (No. 43, $6.6 billion)

How it started: Inherited and grew itStarted in his father's construction firm, Ferret-Savinel, and became its chairman in 1978; Forbes says he used $15 million from that business to buy Christian Dior in 1984. LVMH was formed in 1987 by merger and he has led it as majority shareholder since 1989; Founded itInditex calls him its founder: he started a clothing workshop in 1963, opened the first Zara in 1975, and Inditex was formed as its parent in 1985. Forbes says he co-founded Inditex with his ex-wife Rosalía Mera (d. 2013)
Main source: LVMH stock, held mainly through Christian Dior and the family holding AgacheBloomberg: 'The majority of Bernard Arnault's fortune is derived from a 49% stake in LVMH'; Inditex stock, held through Pontegadea Inversiones and PartlerBloomberg: 'The majority of Amancio Ortega's fortune is derived from a 59.3% stake in Inditex'; he has received more than 9 billion euros in dividends since the 2001 IPO, much of it put into property
Companies: LVMHLVMH: Chairman and CEO; InditexInditex: Non-executive proprietary director
Biggest stake: LVMH50.33% owned; Inditex59.294% owned

Born: 5 Mar 1949Roubaix, France; 28 Mar 1936Busdongo de Arbas, Spain
Country: FranceLives in Paris, France; SpainLives in A Coruña, Spain
Education: Bachelor's degreeÉcole polytechnique; No universityLeft school at 12 to work
Parents: Born to an industrial family; his father ran a construction businessLVMH: 'born to an industrial family'; Forbes: 'His father made a small fortune in construction'; Born into a working family; began working in the textile trade at a very young ageParents' occupations not stated

Giving Pledge: Not a signer; Not a signer
Foundation: Fondation Louis VuittonCreated by the LVMH group, announced by Arnault in 2006; a corporate foundation rather than a personal one; Fundación Amancio OrtegaCreated in 2001; works in education and social welfare
Lifetime giving: Not stated; Not stated

Role now: Runs the companyChairman and CEO of LVMH; chairman of Groupe Arnault; On the boardNon-executive director of Inditex; chief executive of Pontegadea
Successor: None named; all five children hold rolesDelphine Arnault is chair and CEO of Christian Dior Couture and an LVMH director; Antoine Arnault joined the LVMH Executive Committee in February 2026; Alexandre and Frédéric Arnault sit on the LVMH board; His daughter Marta Ortega Pérez, non-executive chair of Inditex since April 1, 2022Óscar García Maceiras has been CEO since 2021; his wife Flora Pérez Marcote is also a director
Public office: None found; None found
Legal record: 2026: Paris Administrative Court of AppealThe court ordered him and his wife to pay about 22.5 million euros in additional taxes, social contributions, penalties and interest for 2010 and in wealth tax for 2012 to 2015, reversing a 2020 judgment; his representatives said they would appeal to the Conseil d'État.; 2013: Supreme Court of SpainThe Supreme Court rejected his final appeal in a dispute with tax auditors, leaving him to pay 33 million euros in back taxes for 2001 to 2003.