French conglomerate LVMH is already the biggest player in the luxury industry, with 75 brands under its belt.
But that’s not going to stop it from setting its sights on other lucrative prospects—like in Hollywood.
The Louis Vuitton and Dior owner plans to foray into the entertainment industry worth billions of dollars in a venture called 22 Montaigne Entertainment, a nod to the address of LVMH’s Paris headquarters.
Under CEO Bernard Arnault’s eldest son, Antoine Arnault, and LVMH’s North America head, Anish Melwani, the new platform will aim to market and place the French fashion group’s products in movies and TV shows in partnership with U.S.-based Superconnector Studios.
“We are excited to formalize our approach to the promotion of our brands across entertainment formats … complementing [their] direct engagement activity,” Melwani said in a statement, according to the Financial Times.
The collaboration is the first of its kind for LVMH, which will chip in on developing and financing Hollywood projects. But crossovers between luxury and entertainment have become more common in recent times.
Last year, François-Henri Pinault, who owns Gucci parent Kering and Puma through his holdings company, Artémis, bought a majority stake in talent management company Creative Artists Agency. CAA is among the top Hollywood agencies and manages juggernauts like George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Scarlett Johansson.
Arnault’s LVMH, for its part, has worked with pop stars before—for instance, the company brought Pharrell Williams on board as head of men’s wear and has also inked deals with the likes of Zendaya and Beyoncé.
The Arnaults in Hollywood
The goal of LVMH’s new venture is to help connect its various luxury houses to movie, TV, or audio projects that could help amplify the individual brands, the group’s North America chief Melwani said in an interview with Deadline earlier this week.
“It’s more of an evolution than anything, because luxury and entertainment have been connected for a long time. Both are about culture,” Melwani said, adding that the financial returns from 22 Montaigne Entertainment was hard to gauge as it was still “early in the development cycle.”
“This isn’t LVMH coming to Hollywood with a big checkbook to say, we’re going to go make movies,” he said. “That’s not the intention.”
Antoine Arnault, who is a chairman at LVMH tasked with leading the new entertainment effort, is in charge of managing the entire company’s image and sustainability. He’s also been credited with sealing a high-profile sponsorship for the luxury behemoth at the upcoming Paris Olympic Games this summer.
Last month, Antoine stepped away from his role leading high-end men’s fashion house Berluti—a move that left industry observers with questions about what his next role would be.
He now manages the family holdings company Christian Dior, which is listed publicly in Paris and owns much of the Arnaults’ LVMH stake.
LVMH’s moves are closely followed by the luxury industry as its portfolio is wide-ranging and diverse even within luxury—from apparel to beauty to spirits. The group reported strong annual performance in 2023 as the appetite for high-end goods stayed resilient, though it has yet to see demand fully recover to pre-pandemic levels.
Representatives at LVMH didn’t immediately return Fortune’s request for comment.
