the richest individuals and brands in the fashion industry.
the fashion industry is one of the biggest economies in the world, with an estimated market value of between $1.7 trillion and $2.5 trillion in 2021. despite the size of the apparel and footwear market decreasing by 18.1% in 2020 due to the covid-19 pandemic, the industry managed to return to its pre-lockdown levels once restrictions were eased.
Designers, founders and brands within the fashion industry rack up some huge profits thanks to our purchases, with many of them earning billions of dollars every year. So, if you want to know which ones are earning the big bucks, then jewellerybox has you covered!
we’ll reveal which individuals and brands within the fashion industry were worth the most in 2022, as well as the fashion brands that were searched for the most on google.
the richest people in fashion in 2022
2,668 people were featured on the forbes world’s billionaires list in 2022, which is 87 fewer than the previous year. Despite this, 40% of the billionaires featured on the list managed to get even richer since 2021. The list also saw 236 newcomers, with several entries coming from the fashion industry.
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bernard arnault – $158 billion net worth
the richest person in fashion is bernard arnault, the co-founder, chairman and chief executive officer of lvmh, with an estimated net worth of $158 billion. lvmh is the world’s largest luxury goods company and is home to multiple brands and subsidiaries, such as louis vuitton, christian dior, givenchy and marc jacobs.
Arnault is still the third richest person in the world, a position which he has managed to retain on the forbes world’s billionaires list since 2020.
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amancio ortega – $59.6 billion net worth
the second richest person in fashion is inditex founder and former chairman, amancio ortega, with an estimated net worth of $59.6 billion. inditex is the biggest fast fashion group in the world and is home to brands such as zara, stradivarius, bershka and pull&bear. ortega is currently the 23rd richest person in the world, previously peaking at position six on the forbes world’s billionaires list in 2018, 2019 and 2020.
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phil knight – $47.3 billion net worth
the third richest person in fashion is phil knight, the co-founder and chairman emeritus of nike, with an estimated net worth of $47.3 billion. nike sponsors many top athletes within the sporting community including cristiano ronaldo, roger federer, rory mcilroy and lebron james. knight is currently the 27th richest person in the world, dropping two places on the forbes world’s billionaires list since 2021.
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françois pinault – $40.4 billion net worth
the fourth richest person in fashion is kering chairman and ceo, françois pinault, with an estimated net worth of $40.4 billion. kering is a multinational corporation specialising in luxury goods and is home to brands such as gucci, yves saint laurent, balenciaga and alexander McQueen. pinault is still the 32nd richest person in the world, a position which he has managed to attain on the forbes world’s billionaires list for two years running, since 2021.
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alain & gerard wertheimer – $31.2 billion net worth
the fifth richest people in fashion are brothers alain and gerard wertheimer, the current co-owners of chanel, with an estimated net worth of $31.2 billion. chanel has had many celebrity ambassadors over the years, including kristen stewart, margot robbie, lily-rose depp and cara delevingne. alain and gerard are currently the 43rd richest people in the world, slipping two places on the forbes world’s billionaires list since 2021.
| Rank | Current Forbes Position (2022) | Previous Forbes Position (2021) | Name | Business | Net Worth |
| 1 | 3 | 3 | Bernard Arnault | LVMH | $158 billion |
| 2 | 23 | 11 | Amancio Ortega | Inditex | $59.6 billion |
| 3 | 27 | 25 | Phil Knight | Nike | $47.3 billion |
| 4 | 32 | 32 | François Pinault | Kering | $40.4 billion |
| 5 | 43 | 41 | Alain & Gerard Wertheimer | Chanel | $31.2 billion |
| 6 | 52 | 62 | Leonardo Del Vecchio | Luxottica | $27.3 billion |
| 7 | 54 | 31 | Tadashi Yanai | Uniqlo | $26.1 billion |
| 8 | 94 | 84 | Stefan Persson | H&M | $17.6 billion |
| 9 | 135 | 161 | Anders Holch Povlsen | Bestseller | $13.6 billion |
| 10 | 163 | N/A | Zhang Congyuan | Huali Industrial | $11.7 billion |
| 11 | 230 | 358 | Johann Rupert | Richemont | $8.9 billion |
| 12 | 254 | 173 | Ma Jianrong | Shenzhou International | $8.4 billion |
| 13 | 296 | 323 | Giorgio Armani | Armani | $7.8 billion |
| 14 | 296 | 247 | Ding Shizhong | Anta Sports | $7.8 billion |
| 15 | 304 | 251 | Ding Shijia | Anta Sports | $7.7 billion |
| 16 | 350 | 358 | Ralph Lauren | Ralph Lauren | $6.9 billion |
| 17 | 375 | 486 | Nicolas Puech | Hermes | $6.6 billion |
| 18 | 438 | 344 | Sandra Ortega Mera | Zara | $5.8 billion |
| 19 | 509 | 574 | Chip Wilson | Lululemon | $5.3 billion |
| 20 | 637 | 1299 | Michael Ashley | Fraser Group | $4.5 billion |
The fashion brands with the highest brand value in 2022
2022 saw an increase in brand value for both luxury apparel and sportswear brands, with luxury apparel rising 21% from $103 billion to $125 billion, and sportswear rising 10% from $68 billion to $74 billion.
Fast fashion brands, however, saw a 7% decrease in brand value, dropping from $44 billion to $41 billion.
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nike – $33.2 billion brand value
nike has managed to attain its position as the most valuable fashion brand in the world, with a brand value of $33.2 billion. nike is the world’s largest supplier of athletic shoes and apparel, and is well known for its trademark swoosh logo and “just do it” slogan. there are currently over 1,000 nike stores across the world, with over 79,000 employees working for the company.
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louis vuitton – $23.4 billion brand value
louis vuitton is currently the second most valuable fashion brand in the world, an increase of one place since the previous year, with a brand value of $23.4 billion. louis vuitton is well known for its lv monogram, which appears on most of its products. some of its best sellers include the ‘neverfull’ tote bag, the ‘speedy’ shoulder/crossbody bag and the ‘capucine’ handbag.
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gucci – $18.1 billion brand value
gucci is now the third most valuable fashion brand in the world, slipping one place since the previous year, with a brand value of $18.1 billion. gucci is well known for its double g monogram, which features on many of their products, such as the iconic gucci belt, the ‘soho disco’ bag and the ‘marmont’ bag. the brand also has a range of high-profile ambassadors, including harry styles, miley cyrus and billie eilish.
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Chanel – $15.3 billion brand value
chanel is now the fourth most valuable fashion brand in the world, climbing one place since the previous year, with a brand value of $15.3 billion. chanel was founded in 1910 by fashion icon, coco chanel, and is well known for its interlocking double c logo. some of its most iconic pieces include tweed outfits, the classic flap bag and, of course, the little black dress.
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adidas – $14.6 billion brand value
adidas is now the fifth most valuable fashion brand in the world, falling one place since the previous year, with a brand value of $14.6 billion. adidas is the largest sportswear manufacturer in europe and is well known for its iconic three stripes identity mark. the brand has a range of high-profile ambassadors, including lionel messi, jamie vardy and stormzy.
| Rank | Current Position (2022) | Previous Position (2021) | Brand | Brand Value |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | Nike | $33.2 billion |
| 2 | 2 | 3 | Louis Vuitton | $23.4 billion |
| 3 | 3 | 2 | Gucci | $18.1 billion |
| 4 | 4 | 5 | Chanel | $15.3 billion |
| 5 | 5 | 4 | Adidas | $14.6 billion |
| 6 | 6 | 10 | Hermes | $13.5 billion |
| 7 | 7 | 6 | Zara | $13 billion |
| 8 | 8 | 8 | H&M | $12.7 billion |
| 9 | 9 | 9 | Cartier | $12.4 billion |
| 10 | 10 | 7 | Uniqlo | $9.6 billion |
The fashion brands with the most google searches in 2022
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zara – 465,100,000 google searches
zara is the most searched-for fashion brand on google, with 465.1 million searches in 2022. this is a huge increase from 361.6 million searches in 2021. it is estimated that zara generated approximately £7.4 billion from e-commerce sales alone last year.
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nike – 378,000,000 google searches
nike is the second most searched-for fashion brand on google, with 378 million searches in 2022, this is an increase of almost 75 million searches from its 303.7 million in 2021. digital sales represented 24% of nike’s total brand revenue in the 2022 fiscal year.
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h&m – 294,100,000 google searches
h&m is the third most searched-for fashion brand on google, with 294.1 million searches in 2022, representing a considerable increase from 257.6 million searches in 2021. out of h&m group’s €19 billion total revenue, six billion was generated via online sales.
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loewe – 255,900,000 google searches
loewe is the fourth most searched-for fashion brand on google, with 255.9 million searches in 2022. this is actually a slight decrease compared to 262.4 million searches in 2021. at the end of 2021, it was revealed that loewe had managed to increase its online sales by 63% to €42 million.
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adidas – 213,700,000 google searches
adidas is the fifth most searched-for fashion brand on google, with 213.7 million searches in this is an increase from 183.4 million searches in 2021. it is estimated that adidas generated $1.43 billion from e-commerce sales alone in 2022.
| Rank | Brand | No. of Google Searches (Jan – Nov 2022) | No. of Google Searches (Jan – Nov 2021) |
| 1 | Zara | 465,100,000 | 361,600,000 |
| 2 | Nike | 378,000,000 | 303,700,000 |
| 3 | H&M | 294,100,000 | 257,600,000 |
| 4 | Loewe | 255,900,000 | 262,400,000 |
| 5 | Adidas | 213,700,000 | 183,400,000 |
| 6 | Primark | 150,500,000 | 67,400,000 |
| 7 | Victoria’s Secret | 145,480,000 | 107,260,000 |
| 8 | Pandora | 143,900,000 | 134,980,000 |
| 9 | Old Navy | 140,860,000 | 127,020,000 |
| 10 | Louis Vuitton | 139,600,000 | 121,220,000 |
| 11 | Lululemon | 130,600,000 | 70,300,000 |
| 12 | Uniqlo | 121,420,000 | 76,040,000 |
| 13 | Next | 100,840,000 | 108,380,000 |
| 14 | Puma | 89,520,000 | 70,820,000 |
| 15 | Gucci | 87,260,000 | 79,860,000 |
| 16 | The North Face | 78,830,000 | 59,530,000 |
| 17 | Skechers | 71,660,000 | 52,280,000 |
| 18 | Chanel | 63,290,000 | 43,510,000 |
| 19 | Hermes | 60,810,000 | 50,450,000 |
| 20 | Tommy Hilfiger | 57,900,000 | 52,480,000 |
Methodology
richest people in fashion – we used forbes world’s billionaires list 2022 and refined our search by industry to ‘fashion and retail’. we then refined the search even further by manually selecting the billionaires that had made their fortune through fashion, shoe or jewellery-related companies in 2022.
fashion brands with the highest brand value – we used brand finance’s apparel 50 2022 ranking to discover which fashion brands had the highest brand value in 2022.
fashion brands with the most searches on google – we used google’s keyword planner and entered all of the brands on brand finance’s apparel 50 ranking. we then worked out the total number of google searches for each brand between january and november 2022.