His family’s Artémis holding company, which also controls Gucci-owner Kering SA, agreed to buy a majority stake in talent-management giant Creative Artists Agency in a transaction that values the business at $7 billion.
The purchase will broaden Artémis’s holdings — which also include Christie’s auction house and French vineyards such as Chateau Latour — and potentially give Kering’s brands greater access to the celebrities who increasingly drive luxury sales. Hayek herself was part of the cast of Ridley Scott’s 2021 “House of Gucci” film. And, while Gucci wasn’t directly involved in the movie, the brand did make its archive available to Scott.
Luxury brands have felt the impact of the strikes, with stars cutting back on red carpet appearances at movie premieres and events like the Venice film festival, where they typically don fancy gowns and suits from the high-end labels. Aside from Gucci, Kering’s stable of brands includes Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta and Brioni.
Kering has also awarded the “Women in Motion” prize at Cannes since 2015, which recognizes female talent in the film industry. This year, the recipient was Michelle Yeoh, who wore a Balenciaga gown at the festival’s premiere of a movie called Firebrand.