Meet the Wertheimers, the secretive brothers behind Chanel: known as ‘fashion’s quietest billionaires’, French businessmen Alain and Gérard own vineyards, breed racehorses and hired Karl Lagerfeld

May 26 , 2023

The story of how the secretive billionaire brothers, Alain and Gérard Wertheimer, came to own Chanel, as well as eight homes, vineyards and pedigree racehorses. Photo: Wireimage, AFP

Their grandfather Pierre took a majority stake in Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel’s perfume business, and today they own the whole empire, as well as vineyards and four stables of racehorses

The brothers made Karl Lagerfeld artistic director in 1983 and three decades on, the likes of Tilda Swinton, Cara Delevingne, Helen Mirren and Pharrell Williams attended his tribute

Alain Wertheimer and his brother Gérard may not be household names, but these two businessmen born in France are together worth US$94 billion.

That’s because back in the 1920s, their grandfather Pierre help fund a then-up-and-coming designer by the name of Coco Chanel.

Today the brothers control the whole Chanel business empire, as well as owning three vineyards in France and California’s Napa Valley, and breed racehorses. Read on to learn how the two men came to be in charge of one of the most iconic fashion brands in the world.

Doing business with Coco Chanel

Today Alain, 74, and his younger brother Gerard, 71, both have fortunes worth US$46.9 billion, according to Bloomberg.

From left, Gérard and Alain Wertheimer at the Prix de Diane Longines horse race in 2011 in Chantilly, France. Photo: WireImage

Their wealth stems from the fact that in 1925, their grandfather Pierre Wertheimer and his brother Paul struck a deal with Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, who was already famous for her successful fashion business.

Together they founded Société des Parfums Chanel with the aim of selling and producing Chanel beauty products. Chanel herself saw it as an opportunity to get her signature fragrance, Chanel No. 5, into the hands of more customers.

These days Chanel No 5 perfume is one of the most recognisable in the world. Photo: Handout

Prior to then, the fragrance had only been available to exclusive clientele at Chanel’s Paris boutiques. Today, Chanel perfumes and fashion are available worldwide, and are among the most recognisable of all brands.

Coco Chanel’s Nazi leanings

Fashion designer Coco Chanel tried to wrest control of Chanel from Alain and Gerard’s grandfather and his brother, who owned 50 per cent of the company in the 1940s. Photo: Getty Images

Chanel was a known Nazi sympathiser who dated a Gestapo spy and appears to have worked as an informant during World War II, though she was never charged, according to PBS.