Culture & Style: Ferragamo
The late Salvatore Ferragamo produced not only groundbreaking footwear, but a healthy roster of successors to secure his legacy. After his death in 1960, his widow Wanda and their six children went into the family business; currently son Ferruccio is chairman while Massimo handles U.S. operations, and Ferruccio’s son James oversees women’s leather design. The international business expanded further after a 2011 IPO that valued the company at $2.1 billion. Meanwhile, the rest of the family ensures that the Ferragamo name reaches far beyond fashion, with a museum, a philanthropic foundation (run by Wanda), and a collection of hotels. (The newest, Portrait Firenze, opens this month in Florence.) James’s twin, Salvatore, runs Il Borro, the Ferragamos’ ancient Tuscan estate with a boutique hotel, a family home, and land that produces olive oil, honey, and award-winning wines.
Left: Salvatore Ferragamo at work
Pinault
There have been many changes at fashion’s top brands recently: Alexander Wang going to Balenciaga and Hedi Slimane’s overhaul of Saint Laurent Paris are just two. The man behind those switch-ups is François-Henri Pinault, CEO of Kering—the company his father François founded—and chairman of the family holding company, Groupe Artemis, which effectively also makes him the owner of Stella McCartney, Gucci, Christie’s, and Château Latour, among other brands. With a portfolio like this, François-Henri essentially has the power to define luxury. When he married Salma Hayek in 2009, it was a veritable merger of fashion and Hollywood. (A-listers have populated the front rows of his fashion shows ever since.) After handing over the company reins in 2003, his father François refashioned himself as an art collector, opening two museums in Venice (the Palazzo Grassi and Punta della dogana) to exhibit his contemporary collection.
Left: François Pinault with daughter-in-law Salma Hayek and granddaughter Valentina Pinault, in Venice, 2013
Weinstein
No less a figure than Meryl Streep has called Harvey Weinstein god, and that would be the Old Testament version—full of wrath and vengeance. He has mellowed (somewhat) since his days at Miramax, the film company he started with brother Bob in 1979 that essentially created indie cinema before getting absorbed, after an acrimonious war, by Disney. The brothers also pioneered the modern, cutthroat Oscar campaign (it works: their movies have gotten more than 300 nominations to date), and, since rebounding in 2005 with the Weinstein Company, the nominations keep coming. But business viability pales in comparison to Harvey’s position as cinema’s greatest champion and savviest impresario. Table manners are another story.
Arnault
Bernard Arnault has been called France’s most powerful man, perhaps because, between his influence and his deep pockets, he can take over just about any company he wants. Last year Hermès accused Arnault of attempting a coup by stealthily buying up shares of the fashion house. As CEO of LVMH, Arnault already oversees such brands as Veuve Clicquot, TAG Heuer, Cheval Blanc, Château d’Yquem, and two French department stores. Arnault’s two children, Delphine (an executive vice president at Louis Vuitton) and Antoine (CEO of Berluti and partner of model Natalia Vodianova), are prominent in the family business. The fashion world is perpetually whispering about which of the two will take over when Bernard retires.
Left: Antoine Arnault and partner Natalia Vodianova
Bachchan
The Indian film industry is dominated by family dynasties, none more prominent than the Bachchans. Amitabh Bachchan is probably the biggest movie star in Bollywood history—he has appeared in more than 180 films over the past four decades (including his Hollywood debut in 2013, playing the gangster Meyer Wolfsheim in The Great Gatsby) and has also tried his hand as a playback singer, TV host, and politician. Bachchan's wife Jaya Bhaduri is also a major movie star, as is their son Abhiske, who is married to the model and actress Aishwarya Rai.
Left: Amitabh Bachchan visits an art show in Mumbai on November 3, 2012.
McCartney
One of the most successful recording artists of all time, Paul McCartney created a great deal of the soundtrack to the modern world. The former Beatle is also the U.K.’s wealthiest musician (by a mile), and the relentless activist puts his money where his mouth is: toward causes like eradicating poverty and promoting vegetarianism. Daughter Stella has taken on the latter cause, in addition to animal rights, making eco-friendly fashion her mission. Through her clothes and accessories, fashion’s most successful earth mother (now an OBE) is changing how the world thinks about luxury—renewable materials can be cool and chic—much as her father’s little band remade music.
Above: Paul and Linda McCartney with their children James, Mary and Stellla in 1974
Saatchi
Attached to two major agencies, Saatchi + Saatchi and M&C Saatchi, the name is nearly synonymous with advertising. But the founding brothers are no longer involved in the industry on a daily basis. Long ago Charles became even more famous as an art world pioneer, championing the Young British Artists through his personal collection and gallery, where he shows the likes of Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin. (His fame—or infamy—increased last year after a controversial breakup with British celebrity chef Nigella Lawson.) While his brother Maurice remains a director at M&C Saatchi, his focus is on politics; a House of Lords Conservative, he recently backed a bill, in honor of his late wife, who died of ovarian cancer in 2011, that encourages doctors to deviate from standard medical procedure in order to save lives.
Above: Maurice Saatchi (left) and his brother Charles Saatchi, co-founders of advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi, 23rd August 1978
Della Valle
The Della Valle family is known for Tod’s, a company that began as a cobbler shop under Filippo Della Valle in the 1920s and is now a global empire, but its interests (and investments) range far and wide. Brothers Diego and Andrea (chairman and vice chairman, respectively) own the soccer team in Florence. Diego is also part owner of Saks, sits on the board of LVMH, and is footing the $34 million bill to restore the Colosseum in Rome. His involvement in cultural and government affairs has made him something of a standard-bearer for Italy, a fact that was magnified during his recent public spat with Fiat president John Elkann, another Italian magnate, on the work ethic of young Italians. Diego’s son, 39-year-old Emanuele, is the founder of New York–based Mediabend Capital, a company (which the family has invested in) that includes the shoppable web publication Lifestyle Mirror.
Left: Diego Della Valle and brother Andrea Della Valle
Ellison
Other than a basketball team, Larry Ellison gets pretty much everything he wants. His Oracle Corporation (the second-largest software maker after Microsoft) has made him the fifth-richest man in the world, and he’s sharing that wealth through the Giving Pledge. But his greatest public service might be son David, 31, and daughter Megan, 28. Hollywood’s most buzzed-about young producers are a one-two punch of high and lowbrow. Megan’s Annapurna Pictures champions brainy, ambitious films (such as this year’s Best Picture Oscar nominees American Hustle and Her); David’s Skydance Productions is behind global blockbuster franchises including Star Trek and the Transformers reboot. Don’t underestimate their influence: The movie business not only drives economies; it may be America’s most lasting marketing tool, for better or worse.
Left: Larry Ellison
Coppola
When director Francis Ford Coppola made his first movie, in 1963, he probably wasn’t thinking, “And thus begins my dynasty!” And yet daughter Sofia, at 42, has become the soignée doyenne of independent film, an Oscar-winning writer, producer, and director. Son Roman, another triple threat, was nominated last year for a Best Original Screenplay Oscar for Moonrise Kingdom. Add to them acting nephews Nicolas Cage, Jason Schwartzman (Wes Anderson’s cinematic doppelgänger), and Schwartzman’s brother Robert (son of Coppola’s sister, actress Talia Shire), Cage’s directing brother Christopher, and a first film from granddaughter Gia, and you not only have America’s first family of film, you have as close to royalty as Hollywood is likely ever to get.
Left: Sofia Coppola
Wetheimer
Many assume that Karl Lagerfeld owns Chanel, and the Wertheimer brothers—whose grandfather Pierre founded Parfums Chanel with Coco Chanel in 1924 and who run the company today—are happy to keep it that way. Alain, who is based in New York, and Gérard, who oversees the watch division from Geneva, are notoriously reclusive. In the 40 or so years that they have been in charge of Chanel’s $7 billion business and its 180 or so stores, they have acquired swimwear company Eres and gunmaker Holland & Holland. They attend Lagerfeld’s fashion shows (often sitting unnoticed in the fourth or fifth row) but rarely make public appearances otherwise. When they do grant interviews, it’s about their prizewinning racehorses or wines from their various French vineyards, including Château Rauzen-Ségla and Château Canon.
Above, Alain Wertheimer and Gerard Wertheimer
Lauren
During every Olympic ceremony, the world is reminded visually of one part of what it means to represent America: being decked out in Ralph Lauren. The eponymous founder’s empire, spanning clothing, furniture, and restaurants, is built around classic American style, and the Lauren clan—who gather en masse at every runway show—may just be fashion’s first family. The Lauren children have taken three different (but still very public) paths. Andrew is a film producer, David (whose wife is Lauren Bush Lauren) handles marketing and communications at the family company, and Dylan runs a Willy Wonka–inspired candy business. Even Ralph’s personal interests—his multimillion-dollar car collection and major cancer center, to name a couple—make international headlines.
Above: Ralph Lauren and his wife Ricky with daughter Dylan on October 16, 2001
Global Influence: al-Thani
Qatar is smaller than Connecticut, and wealthier too, but judging from the royal family’s taste in art—as exemplified by the mammoth bronze fetuses in Damien Hirst’s The Miraculous Journey—it may be less conservative. Sheikha al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani has become the contemporary art market’s biggest customer by a large margin, so much so that when a Francis Bacon triptych sold for $142 million, many assumed she was the buyer. (According to art world buzz, the painting was actually purchased by Elaine Wynn.) The al-Thanis are also behind the fast-growing international news network Al Jazeera.
Left: Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and Sheika Mozah bint Nasser Al-Missned
Peres
At 90, Israeli president Shimon Peres is the world’s oldest head of state. The Polish-born soldier, author, and statesman fought in Israel’s war of independence, fathered the country’s (unacknowledged) nuclear weapons program, and has held a senior government post during every major crisis in Israeli history. Now his children are making names for themselves. Son Nechemia is a leading Israeli venture capitalist, and daughter Tsvia Walden is a distinguished professor of psycholinguistics.
Above: Shimon Peres with President Obama, in Washington, DC, 2012
Kennedy
Between JFK, RFK, and Ted, the Kennedy family has made an indelible mark on American politics, and now the younger generations are taking up the torch. Caroline was confirmed as ambassador to Japan last fall, while cousin Robert Jr. continues to be one of the country’s most high-profile environmentalists. Meanwhile, Joseph P. Kennedy III, Teddy’s nephew, is already making his way on Capitol Hill as a 33-year-old rookie congressman from Massachusetts’s 4th Congressional District (after winning the seat vacated by Barney Frank), and JFK’s grandson Jack Schlossberg is a student at Yale and a prolific writer whose work has appeared on CNN’s website and in campus publications.
Above: A group portrait of John F. Kennedy (center) surrounded by his family after the news that he won the U.S. presidential election, Hyannis Port, Massachusetts November 1960
Emanuel
If there were a fourth Emanuel brother, he’d probably be an NBA star—and this isn’t a family known for height. The existing three—Zeke, architect of President Obama’s healthcare law; Ari, Hollywood superagent; and Rahm, mayor of Chicago—excel at excelling. Their mother signed them up for ballet, but they are as notorious for stepping on toes as for executing perfect power plays. Ambition can serve dynasties well; just think of a certain Irish-American family that made it to the White House—as Rahm, Obama’s former chief of staff, just might one day.
Left: Ari and Sarah Emanuel
Sulzberger
Last year's sale of the Washington Post by the Graham family to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos raised questions—again—about whether the Sulzberger family would follow suit. But Arthur Sulzberger Jr. a.k.a. Pinch, quickly quashed rumors by declaring that "The New York Times is not for sale." Meanwhile, Pinch's son Arthur Gregg Sulzberger left the Metro desk last year to take charge of a "new ideas task force" at the paper, an assignment that will presumably prepare him well for rising up the ranks, perhaps all the way to the top.
Left: Arthur Sulzberger attends the closing of Marina Abramovic's "The Artist is Present" hosted by Givenchy at The Museum of Modern Art on June 1, 2010.
Soros
Treasurer of the left and bogeyman of the right, Geroge Soros is the Koch brothers inverted. As an investor he moves markets and sometimes breaks them, as he notably did with the British pound during Black Wednesday in 1992. While he will probably star in Tea Party conspiracy theories for years to come, Soros' age is catching up with his bank balance. And his children have become liberal crusasers, too—Andrea fights global poverty, Jonathan works to rid politics of money, and Alexander has thrown his weight behind the Domestic Workers National Alliance.
Left: George Soros, March 1, 1995.
Kenyatta
The Kenyattas rule over Kenya. The late Jomo Kenyatta was one of the country’s founding fathers and its first president. Jomo’s son Uhuru Kenyatta is the current president, and the family controls a vast business empire that includes hotels, dairies, commercial banks, and media holdings. (The Hague has charged Uhuru with crimes against humanity for allegedly financing ethnically-motivated murders during post-election violence in 2007. He denies any wrongdoing.) Another relative, Ngethe Njoroge, was Kenya’s first UN ambassador—and the father of Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello.
Above: Jomo Kenyatta (center) with wife Ngina, in Kenya, 1968
Koch
The Koch clan’s economic clout comes from its control of Koch Industries, a Kansas-based multinational that is ranked by Forbes as the second-largest private company in the United States, with estimated annual revenues of $115 billion. The four sons of founder Fred Koch battled for control of the family business during the 1980s; brothers Charles and David eventually bought out their siblings, and today each controls 42 percent of Koch Industries. Staunch free-market conservatives, they’ve shaped current American political discourse by using their vast wealth to back right-wing political candidates and libertarian groups such as the Cato Institute and the Reason Foundation.
Left: David H. Koch attends the 2012 New York City Ballet fall gala at David H. Koch Theater, Lincoln Center on September 20, 2012.
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